


A Place To Call Home

by slytherin_lannister



Series: Home [1]
Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-07
Updated: 2014-04-12
Packaged: 2018-01-14 17:47:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 20
Words: 42,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1275403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slytherin_lannister/pseuds/slytherin_lannister
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl and Beth have found a large group of survivors who are happy to take them in, clean them up, and feed them. They're exhausted, hungry, dirty, and (though neither will admit it) scared. For now all they can do is hope the others are alive and will find them, but Daryl can't shake the feeling it's too good to be true.</p><p>DJ is feisty, independent, and rebellious. When her group takes in 12 new members, she meets the man who might just be her perfect match. Unfortunately, her parents are determined to make her life unnecessarily difficult.</p><p>Slow building Daryl/OC</p><p>Rated M for violence and language.</p><p>Also it's gonna be AU-ey/Head cannon-y in some parts because that's how I roll. :)</p><p>P.S. I do not own Walking Dead. I'm just a fangirl.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Aftermath

Daryl woke up in a tent, wearing a fresh t-shirt that wasn't his. His head was throbbing and his legs were sore. He heard someone singing quietly, a girl. Beth maybe? He slowly turned his head and tried to sit up. The singing stopped. "Whoa there, big guy. Lay back. Take it easy." He frowned. Where was his crossbow? "M' bow?" he choked out. His throat was dry and scratchy. He coughed. The girl ignored his question but brought a bottle of water to his lips. He drank too quickly, nearly choking himself. The girl wiped his chin as he spluttered. "Easy, easy." Daryl caught his breath and looked at the stranger properly.

She was a pretty girl, probably mid-20s as far as he could tell. She had wavy blonde hair that reminded him of Andrea's, but it was longer. Her eyes were green with little gold flecks if you looked carefully enough. "Where's my bow?" he asked again. "It's safe, don't worry. I'll get it for you in a little bit." He didn't much like that answer. He slowly lifted himself into a sitting position. "What's your name?" the girl asked him. He shifted his eyes, looking around the tent. It was huge; probably slept at least ten people. The girl was smiling patiently when his eyes focused back on her. "My name is DJ," she told him. "Kinda name is that for a girl?" he asked grumpily. "It's just an abbreviation. Stands for Diana Joy." "Why don't you just go by Diana then?" he asked. She shot him a look that he didn't care for. "'Cause I don't like to, that's why. Now, you got a name? Last name? Nickname? Somethin' I can call ya?"

She looked harmless enough, but he'd learned over the years that women could be just as cruel as men. "Daryl," he told her. She smiled and nodded. Daryl watched as she pulled a chair over to his cot and sat down. "The girl you were with..." "Beth? Is she okay?" She gave him a reassuring smile. "She's fine. Sleeping now. Y'all were both so exhausted when you showed up that you practically passed out." Daryl nodded. It was all starting to come back to him. "The girl...Beth..." Daryl looked at her through slitted eyes and she chose her next words carefully. "It's not really my business..." "Go on." "You just...you don't look old enough to have a daughter that age and, well, I was curious..." Daryl chewed his lip angrily.

"You think I'm some kinda pervert? Is that what you think?" DJ put her hands up. "I don't know you at all," she answered. "I ain't. I ain't no sicko that messes with kids," he growled. "Okay. Alright, man." Once he'd calmed down, he realized he was starving. His stomach growled. "How about I get you somethin' to eat, hm? We got some soup cookin' outside." Daryl nodded. "Okay, I'll be right back. Please don't wander off." That sounded weird. Daryl watched her leave. He couldn't help but notice her long, tanned legs. He looked away angrily. Now wasn't the time to think about shit like that.

DJ returned moments later with a bowl of steaming soup. She offered it to him. Daryl took the bowl and the smell of homemade chicken noodle soup hit him full in the face. DJ plopped herself back down in her chair and stared at him. He took a tentative bite. It was good, and it warmed him. He took a few more bites, all the while DJ stared. "You gonna watch me eat?" he snapped. "Sorry. I'm bored." Daryl scrunched his eyebrows together. "You just watch people eat when you're bored?" he asked. DJ shrugged. "Ain't had many people come in lately. Ain't had many people get hurt." "Ain't that a good thing?" Daryl asked her, bringing the spoon to his lips again. DJ sighed. "I guess, but it gets so boring."

This girl was out of her mind. He shook his head and finished his soup. "Here." DJ took his empty bowl and left the tent once more. When she returned, his crossbow was slung over her shoulder. "Thanks," he grumbled, taking it from her. "Where exactly am I? And where'd this shirt come from?" DJ looked like she wanted to laugh, but she didn't. "Well, we're somewhere outside of Columbus, Georgia. And you were really dirty so we cleaned you up just a bit and put a fresh shirt on ya." He knew he should have been grateful, but he really didn't like the thought of some stranger taking his shirt off.

In his silence, DJ must have sensed his unease. "I was a registered nurse before the shit hit the fan. I've worked in hospitals, emergency rooms, and nursing homes. I've given countless sponge baths to grabby old men and some grabby not-so-old men. You have nothing to worry about." He just nodded once and didn't look her in the eye for a long time. The front of the tent opened and a scrawny guy around DJ's age stepped in. "Your daddy said I could find..." He stopped and looked at Daryl. His eyes quickly shifted back to DJ. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know what was going on there.

DJ stood quickly hearing the guy's voice. "When did y'all get back? Is everyone okay?" "Um, n-not that long ago." DJ took a step toward him. "Ray...tell me what happened." The dude wrung his hands nervously. "He's okay. We got him back to your dad real fast..." He took a deep breath. "It was my fault. I'm so sorry. I saw the buck and I just...I tried to shoot. I didn't see him there and my arrow went through his shoulder." DJ sighed angrily. "You idiot. Move." She stomped past him but turned just as she was about to walk out. "Your friend is in RV 2. When you feel up to it you can go see her." Without another word she stormed out of the tent.

Ray stood there rubbing his head for a minute. He turned and looked at Daryl suspiciously before walking out after DJ. When at last he was alone, Daryl slowly stood up. He walked out of the tent, the muscles in his legs aching every step of the way. When he got outside he saw how large the camp really was. They had 5 new looking RVs, each spray painted with a number, and at least a dozen other cars. There were dozens of smaller tents set up in neat rows and two large tents on either side. He noticed a red cross on the front of the one on the other side. In the center was a huge fire pit with several large pots over a small fire. There were armed sentries all around. It was as solid a set up as could be hoped for if you didn't have walls.

Daryl squinted against the early evening sunlight and searched for RV 2. He spotted it and immediately made his way over. He opened the door. "Diana?" Daryl stepped inside. "She went off to see about someone with an arrow to the shoulder," he answered. The woman looked up. "Oh, you're awake. Good. Have you eaten?" Daryl nodded. "This is your..." "Friend," he finished. "We were part of a group. Our place was...overrun. Everyone was separated." The woman frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that." Daryl turned his attention to Beth. "She gonna be okay?" he asked quietly. "She'll be just fine." Her eyes fluttered open. Daryl rushed over. "Daryl?" she croaked. The woman handed her a water bottle and Beth drank deeply.  "It's okay," Daryl assured her.

"What is this place?" Beth asked. "It's sort of a refugee camp," the woman explained. Beth took another drink. "My name is Joan Bennett. My husband is one of the doctors here." Daryl perked up. "Y'all have doctors? Like more than one?" Joan nodded. "My husband was a doctor in Desert Storm, and there's Dr. Larry Hamilton. He was our family doctor before all this mess started." Daryl and Beth exchanged a look. "Y'all just take people in? Isn't that dangerous?" Beth asked. "We've had our fair share of mishaps, but overall the people we find or who find us are just scared and hungry and want protection. When you get a chance to look around, you'll notice we have a large group. There's safety in numbers. Once people get here and realize we truly want to help, they usually decide to stick around."

It all seemed too good to be true. "What's the catch?" Daryl asked. Joan chortled. "No catch. You can go any time. We only take weapons from new comers until we're certain they won't use them on our people. After that..." She shrugged. The door to the RV opened and everyone looked to see who had come in. DJ plopped herself down at the little table. "Diana, dear," Joan said with concern. "Is she up?" "She's awake." DJ didn't say anything else. "Excuse me," Joan said quietly. She went over to DJ and sat down. "He'll be okay," she assured her. Beth looked over at Daryl. "Someone took an arrow in the shoulder," he explained in a hushed voice.

A few minutes later DJ came back into the already cramped room. She rubbed her arm vigorously then put it to Beth's forehead. "No fever," she told Joan. "Good. I'll go get her some soup." She left the RV, leaving the rest of them to talk amongst themselves. Daryl crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. "So what's the deal here? Why'd y'all just set up camp here?" DJ looked up at him with a blank expression. "We sent out a group a few days ago. We're giving them a head start. They're gonna mark the way for us." "How far?" DJ rubbed her thighs. "Colorado." Daryl hadn't expected that at all. "Jesus. Why the hell would you..." "That's where we're headed," she cut him off. "But why?" The door to the RV opened and Joan returned with Beth's soup.

Beth thanked Joan for the food and Joan smiled at her. She placed her hand on DJ's shoulder. "I'm gonna go check on Bobby." DJ nodded and rolled her eyes as the door shut. "Honestly, she'll call him what he wants but not me," she grumbled. "Bobby? That's the guy that took the arrow?" DJ nodded. "He your boyfriend or somethin'?" "Older brother," DJ replied. Daryl nodded. "You were tellin' me..." A loud ruckus started outside. "The hell?" Daryl muttered. DJ quickly pulled open the door. Daryl made to follow her. Outside, a beat up truck was speeding toward the camp. It stopped a few feet away and the driver got out. At first Daryl couldn't make any of his features out, but as he got closer he realized exactly who it was.

"Glenn!" he called, running towards him. "Daryl?" Glenn sighed in relief. Daryl hugged him. "Where the hell did you run off to? Where's Maggie? Where's anyone?" Glenn shook his head. "I don't know. I saw signs for a camp and I thought maybe Maggie would have at least tried to scout it out. She's not here?" Daryl shook his head. Glenn ran a hand through his sweat drenched hair. "Shit." DJ had caught up to him by then. "You know him?" she asked. "This is Glenn. He's from my group," Daryl answered. "Nice to meet you, Glenn. I'm DJ." She and Daryl escorted Glenn into the camp. "I'll have to take your weapons, just for a little while. Formality," DJ told him. Glenn looked at Daryl. He nodded. Sighing, Glenn handed over his gun and knife. "Want my ammo, too?" "I don't think that'll be necessary, do you?" DJ asked with a wink.

"What is this place?" Glenn asked as DJ led him to the tent that Daryl had been in. "Just a camp. We try to help everyone we can." She opened the flap to the tent and Glenn and Daryl followed her in. "Just have a seat on one of the cots. You look in decent shape, but can't be too careful." Glenn did as she asked. "You been bit?" DJ asked. "No. No scratches either." "Would you mind if I take a look? I'm a nurse." Glenn swallowed. "A real nurse?" DJ nodded. "I have an old ID badge from the hospital I worked in before this shit went down if you insist on seeing it." Glenn shook his head and pulled off his shirt. He was badly bruised, but no bites or scratches. DJ cleared her throat. "I'm really sorry, but I'm gonna have to examine...er...all of you." Glenn's eyes widened. "Seriously?" "Can't take any chances." "Aren't there any, ya know, dude nurses..." DJ smiled. "If it'll make you more comfortable, I'll get Dr. Hamilton." She stood and left the tent.

"She's..." "Weird," Daryl finished for him. "I was gonna say intense, but I think weird works." It was quiet for a moment. "Did she examine you?" Glenn asked. Daryl shrugged. "Dunno. I was out cold. She definitely saw me naked, though." Before Glenn could respond, DJ came back with a tall man in his mid to late 50s. "Glenn, this is Dr. Hamilton. He'll do the examination and patch you up if need be." She walked past Daryl and out the tent. "I'll go," Daryl mumbled and followed DJ. She was sitting in the grass outside. Daryl sat with her.

"You the only nurse?" he asked, just to make conversation. "My mama's a midwife and there are four other RNs and 2 CNAs in the group. We're pretty covered as far as medical needs go." Daryl nodded. "Seems like a pretty good set up." DJ shrugged. "It's good enough for now. It's only temporary." "What's the deal with Colorado anyway?" Daryl wondered. "Oh, my uncle John is this huge Doomsday Prepper. He bought up a ranch and a bunch o' land out in Colorado, then he built three foot thick concrete walls around the whole thing, topped it off with barbed wire, and stocked it full of food and weapons." "And he's just gonna take anyone who comes with you in? Can't be more than 3 bedrooms..." "He built reinforced tunnels underneath and this huge living space made from shipping containers. There's running water and electricity and everything."

The flap to the tent opened and the doctor came out. "He's all good." When they went back in, Glenn was buttoning his shirt. "You hungry?" DJ asked him. "I can't stay. I need my gun back," he told her. She frowned but asked no questions. She pulled his gun and his knife from her shorts and handed them over. "Whoa, whoa, Glenn. You can't go back out there. It's almost dark." Glenn looked up at him with a stern expression. "I have to. I have to find Maggie." Daryl ran a hand over his face. "Look, I know you want to find her, but you won't find her in the dark. Even the best tracker couldn't do it. Just wait til mornin' and I'll come with you myself." He didn't look happy, but he agreed. "Beth's here," Daryl told him, hoping to keep Glenn's spirits up. He looked up. "Come on, I'll take you to her."


	2. The Rescue Mission

DJ couldn't sleep...again. She sat up and pushed her sleeping bag off of herself. She sighed, rubbing her face. It was quiet. Everyone but those who were on guard were sleeping. Not even a baby's cry pierced the silence, and there was usually at least one crying baby. The sleeping bag next to her was empty. DJ shared a small tent with her younger brother Charlie. She pulled out a flashlight and the leather bound journal she wrote in. She kept the journal and a pen in her pillowcase.

_May 9, 2014???_

_We got a new person yesterday. His name is Glenn. He was with that group that Daryl and Beth were in. I don't know how long ago their group was separated and I don't know how much longer we can stay in this spot. Mrs. Gonzalez is due any day now and we can't risk her going into labor while we're driving, but the longer we stay the farther away the scouting group gets. Who knows what could happen if they get out of communication range? I'm going crazy here too. I keep getting put with the babies and toddlers while the other women wash clothes, cook, or homeschool the older kids. I almost never get guard duty and I swear my mom would have a heart attack if I got put with the hunting group. I'd be a better hunter than Ray. I wouldn't shoot anyone._

She heard footsteps outside the tent and turned off the flashlight. She stuffed the journal back in her pillowcase. She could hear voices and whoever was out there shuffled right past her tent. She unzipped it and went to see what was going on. She saw the glow of flashlights and the backs of several people walking as quickly as possible to the nearest medical tent. She followed. When she opened the flap to the tent, her father was lighting the lanterns. Two strangers were laying a third stranger on a cot. DJ's father looked up. "Diana, go get Daryl. He and Glenn should be in a tent at the far end of camp. Hurry."

DJ took off at a jog. She reached the tent she thought was right and unzipped it. Glenn was out cold but Daryl sat up quickly, knife in hand. "Easy, partner. We need you in medic tent 2." "I ain't no doctor," Daryl protested. "Shut up and come on," DJ told him. Daryl threw the sleeping bag off himself and followed DJ out. "What's goin' on?" Daryl asked, keeping pace as DJ jogged. "I'm not really sure. My dad told me to hurry so I'm haulin' ass."

They reached the medic tent quickly, though somewhat out of breath. It wasn't far, but they had decided to run full force. DJ led him inside the tent, which was now well lit. "Holy shit..." Daryl made his way over to the cot where a beat up stranger lay. "What the hell happened?" "The Governor," the guy coughed. "Where's Lil Ass Kicker?" No one said anything. Daryl looked from the guy on the cot, to the teenaged boy, to the short black woman with his mouth slightly open. He closed it when the woman shook her head. "Shit...RIck, I'm so sorry, man...shit..." "Who else made it out?" the man on the cot, Rick, asked. "Me, Glenn, and Beth. Glenn showed up yesterday. Me an' Beth got here the night before." "Did you see anyone else get out? Maggie? Tyreese?" Daryl shook his head. "Me and Glenn are goin' out today to look for Maggie."

"I wanna go." Rick shook his head. "Carl, no. I...I want you to stay here. We've lost enough already." "You said I was a man. You have to treat me like one." Daryl stepped in. "You look after your old man, Bud. We got this." Carl didn't look happy. "What if you find Maggie and she has Judith?" he asked. "Then we'll bring 'em both back." Carl looked ready to protest. "I'll go with 'em," DJ said, taking a step forward. "Diana," her dad sighed exasperatedly. She rolled her eyes.

"Dad, you do realize that I am a 28 year old, full grown woman who is more than capable with firearms as well as knives, right? I understand your concern, I really do. I know I'm tiny and not as strong as these guys undoubtedly are, but I'm fast and I'm smart and I'm not scared." He looked up as if waiting for Jesus to help him. "Look, if we can find them, we should. She could have a baby with her. We have to look." "You've barely slept." "I'm fine. I slept for four hours." He shook his head. "I was an E.R. nurse for three years, I've run on less sleep than that." DJ crossed her arms over her chest. "You can't stop me." "You have no idea how badly I wish that weren't true," he sighed.

DJ smiled victoriously and looked at Daryl. "What're you waitin' for? It's almost dawn." She walked out of the medic tent and went to grab some supplies. Charlie still wasn't back so she left a note on his pillow.

_Charlie,_

_Gone out on potential rescue mission. Be back ASAP._

_DJ_

She went to grab the keys to one of the SUVs. Daryl followed. "You don't have to come," he told her. "Glenn and I can handle it." She grabbed the keys and turned toward the cars. "It's dangerous," he said. She spun around to face him. "Look around, Daryl. Just going to take a piss is dangerous. I ain't gonna sit around on my ass while the men folk protect me," she hissed. He frowned. "I am sick and tired of being forced to look after the babies all day when I could be doing something useful." "You don't think keeping the kids safe is useful?" he asked. "Of course, it is, but why does it have to be me? I may not be a Marine like Bobby, but he taught me how to shoot. I shoot just as good as he does. Why can't I ever have a turn at guard duty? Why can't I go out huntin' with the men?" He didn't answer. "I'm goin' to help you find that girl and that's that." "Maggie...her name is Maggie. She's Glenn's wife."

DJ nodded. "I'm gonna help y'all find Maggie. And maybe the baby too. Go get Glenn and meet me by that Jeep in ten." She gathered some snacks, ammo, and weapons and started for the car. Someone ran up behind her as she opened the back door. "Hey..." She turned. "Need somethin'?" she asked, knowing she wouldn't like what she was about to hear. "Your dad sent me to keep an eye on you." DJ sighed. "No offense, but fuck off, Eric." He frowned. "You can't go off with strangers by yourself." DJ slammed the door shut as Daryl and Glenn were heading their way. "I can do what I want, when I want. And I can take care of myself."

Daryl and Glenn reached the car, fully equipped to take down some zombies. "Ready?" Daryl asked, looking over at Eric. "Yep." "Hey..." Eric reached out and gently touched DJ's arm. "You can tell my dad I'm a grown ass woman and I don't need someone to take care of me. I'll be fine." She jerked her arm away and got in the driver's side. Once Daryl and Glenn were in she tore off to the main road. She reached over to the glove compartment and pulled out a CD case. She set it on Daryl's lap. "Look for a CD labeled _'Face Melters'_ and don't ask me no questions." Daryl flipped through and pulled out the CD that DJ had asked for. She popped it into the CD player and _'Welcome To The Jungle'_ immediately began pouring from the speakers. DJ glanced over at Daryl. He was looking straight ahead with an unreadable expression.

First they searched the woods about a half a mile out from the camp. There were tracks, but they weren't human. DJ led them east. "There's train tracks a little ways out. We put up signs there to let people know we were willing to take them in." When they reached the tracks the found bodies all over the side. There was a zombie there too. Daryl took it out with his crossbow, then went over and pulled the arrow out of its head. He bent down and looked at the muddy ground. "Tracks," he told them. Diana bent down beside him. "They weren't made long ago. They're headed for the camp. Think it could be Maggie?" Daryl shrugged. "Might be. But there's a bunch, look. Four sets." "So she made it out with other people." "If it's her."

They heard groaning and leaves rustling nearby. "I'll get it," DJ said as a lone zombie burst through the woods towards them. She slipped her knife from its sheath and rammed it into the zombie's head. She twisted and pulled it out. The zombie crashed down at her feet. She flung some of the blood off and sheathed it. Daryl nodded at her. "We should go back to the car..." "No." DJ sighed. "Glenn, the tracks are going towards camp. If she made these tracks, she could already be there." "I want to follow them," he said. "Look, it's gonna take a few hours to get back to the car..." "It's nowhere near dark. I just want to follow the trail for a little while." DJ looked at Daryl, who nodded. "Okay, man. We'll follow the tracks."

By the time they got back to the car it was getting dark. The three of them got back in the Jeep silently and DJ slowly turned onto the road. "STOP!" Glenn yelled. DJ slammed on the breaks. "What?" There were three dots heading their way. Soon the dots turned into people. Glenn jumped out of the car. Daryl and DJ covered him. When Glenn broke into a run, so did they. "Maggie? Maggie!" It was her. Glenn had rushed forward and scooped her into a hug so hard they almost fell over. Daryl rushed over to the other two to make sure they were alright. There was a woman and a man, and the man had blood on his shirt and a bandaged shoulder.

DJ stood shuffling her feet. After a few minutes Glenn walked over, hand in hand with his wife. "Thank you," he said. She smiled. "Nah, it was nothin'. I'm glad we found her." Maggie smiled and held out her hand. DJ shook it. "Maggie." DJ nodded. "DJ." The others walked over and DJ led them to the Jeep. "Everybody in?" she asked as she shut her door. "Yep." She started the Jeep back up and drove toward camp as the sun set.

She parked the Jeep where she'd taken it from and got out. The others followed suit. DJ's father was waiting looking angry and relieved. "You were out too long," he told her. "We found her, though, and two more of their people." He nodded. "Three more arrived while you were gone. They had the baby with them," he told her. The others looked relieved. "Lil Ass Kicker made it!" Daryl laughed. "Come on. I'll take y'all to them." DJ followed behind the rest of them.

Her dad held the flap open for the others. When DJ approached, he closed it and blocked her way. _Here we go_ , she thought. "What the hell do you think you were doing? I sent Eric for a reason," he started. She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know." He gave her a stern look as he waited for her to explain herself. She sighed. "Does it really matter? I'm here now, I'm safe, and we found Glenn's wife." "It matters because you might not have come back. Did you ever stop to think how losing you might affect your family?" "Do you really think Eric would have made the difference between life and death? You and mama holdin' on so tight is what's gonna end up gettin' me hurt or killed." She instantly regretted those words. For the first time in her entire life, she saw hurt in her father's eyes. He turned to leave. "Dad, wait!" He didn't stop. "Fuck," DJ muttered to herself.


	3. What Women Want

Seeing Carol had made Daryl's chest tighten with mixed emotions. He was still pissed at her for what she had done to Karen and David. He felt guilty knowing that he and Rick had almost told Tyreese but hadn't gotten to and now he stood there with her like nothing was wrong. Mostly he felt betrayed. He had cared so deeply for Carol; he never would have guessed she could be so...rash? Cruel? Paranoid? He wasn't even sure what to call her after what she'd done. But there she stood and he tried to look at her the way he had before, but he just couldn't. He'd almost loved her, he realized that now. But luckily for him, almost doesn't count.

As the others had a happy reunion, Daryl avoided making eye contact with Carol. Instead, he listened to the conversation happening outside the tent. When Carol looked like she was going to go over and talk to him, he walked out, nearly knocking DJ over in the process. "Sorry," he grunted. DJ didn't reply, merely shrugged. Daryl frowned, not really sure what to do. She wasn't crying, but she looked close to it. "I heard you and your ol' man," he told her. She looked at him with shame in her eyes. "Everybody says stupid shit when they're pissed off. He'll get over it." It probably wasn't the most comforting thing he could have said, but it was all he could think of.

"How come you're not in there with the rest of your group?" DJ asked. Daryl looked off in the distance. "It's complicated," he told her. She laughed a little. "No, it isn't. It's okay. It's none of my business." She crossed her arms and walked away. Daryl watched her go. He only turned to go back to the tent he shared with Glenn when DJ was in her own tent. As he dropped down onto his sleeping bag, it occurred to him that with Maggie back, he'd have to sleep somewhere else. He rubbed his hand down his face and sighed. He was happy to have Maggie back, but he wasn't about to pretend to sleep while she and Glenn fucked each other all night.

He wasn't sure what time it was when he heard the zipper of the tent. He jumped a little, waking up and realizing he'd dozed off. He sat up as Glenn and Maggie crawled in. Glenn bit his lip. "I need air," Daryl lied. He got up and left the tent and his sleeping bag behind. The stars were out in full force. The huge fire pit was down to cinders, but a lone shadow still haunted a log bench beside it. She didn't look up even when Daryl sat next to her. He wasn't even sure why he did it. The last thing he wanted was to talk. At least that's what he thought when he'd left the tent. But here he was sitting next to DJ and fighting the urge to talk.

She looked over at him as he tossed a twig into the pit as if she had just realized she wasn't alone. "Still thinkin' 'bout your ol' man?" he asked. She shook her head. "You look pretty far away," he observed. "I do that sometimes," she replied quietly. "Go away, I mean." Daryl nodded. "Me too." Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. "Can't sleep?" DJ asked. "I fell asleep a little while ago. Now that Maggie's back I should find somewhere else to sleep." "Me and Charlie's tent is usually empty at night. He's usually on guard duty and I can't sleep. You're welcome to it if you want." "Thanks." DJ nodded. They both looked up when they heard whimpering and voices. Someone ran to RV 2 and knocked hard. "Wonder what's goin' on," Daryl muttered idly. DJ squinted. "Mrs. Gonzalez probably went into labor."

DJ's parents rushed out after the man who'd knocked on the RV door. "Shouldn't you go? You're a nurse." DJ shook her head. "There's more nurses besides me. My parents could handle it on their own if they wanted to. They'll probably get Jeanette and Lydia to help." Daryl didn't know who they were, but he took DJ's word for it. He tore his eyes away from the small group walking a very pregnant woman to the closest medic tent. "Sometimes I really hate myself," DJ said so quietly Daryl almost didn't hear. "Why?" he asked, surprised that he was genuinely curious. Beth must've rubbed off on him. "I'm almost fucking thirty, and I act like such a brat." She shook her head.

"You said you weren't still thinkin' about your dad," Daryl almost laughed. "I wasn't...not entirely. I just feel so shitty. They want me safe, and I understand that. I like to point out far too often that I'm grown, but deep down I know that to them I'll always be their little girl. I mean, what parent doesn't want to keep their kids safe?" Daryl didn't have an answer for that. He could have shown her the scars on his back, but he knew she'd seen them and been too polite to say anything. "I know if it were me...if I had I a kid..." She trailed off and rubbed her face. Daryl wondered if she had a kid before this shit started but he didn't think it would be right to ask. So he went a different route.

"Sending some guy to keep an eye on you was still a bit much," he told her. She half-smiled. "Oh, that. Yeah, that was somethin' else entirely...well, maybe not _entirely_. But it wasn't just to keep an eye on me." "What d'ya mean?" DJ caught his eye and looked back down at the burning embers. "They're already thinkin' 'bout repopulating when we're safe. They think Eric would make the perfect husband for me." Daryl laughed. She was fucking with him, right? "Don't know why you're laughin'. I ain't jokin'." "Wait, your parents are tryin' to...what? Arrange a marriage?" DJ shrugged. "What other options are there, really? Ray? He's been in love with me since middle school and I have never been remotely interested. Plus when he gets to thinkin' too much he drinks, and when he drinks he starts fights. Nah, Eric's the way to go. At least in their eyes. He's strong and good lookin' and could take real good care o' me. He's the Kocoum to my Pocahontas," DJ sighed.

Daryl just looked at her. "Okay, really, you've never seen Pocahontas?" she asked. "So what's the issue? Eric sounds like a good guy," Daryl pressed, ignoring her question. "He's boring." Daryl grinned. "Seriously?" DJ nodded. "He's so...safe." Daryl shook his head. "What's wrong with you, girl?" DJ shrugged. "I want passion. I want someone who won't just fight _for_ me, he'll fight _with_ me. Because he gives a shit. Because he thinks he's right. Because he wants super hot angry sex." A painful scream covered Daryl's laugh. "She's crowning," DJ muttered. "Let me get this straight, you don't want to marry Eric because he's boring, and he's boring because he won't fight with you?" DJ looked Daryl in the eye. "He's a pushover." "He looks military." "He's a Marine," DJ told him. "He's my brother's best friend. He's a Marine. And he's a pushover when it comes to women." Daryl couldn't believe this girl. He shook his head with a grin. Women were all a bunch o' weirdos.

"What?" DJ asked him. He looked over at her. "Ain't that what women want? A good man that won't hit her? That'll keep her good an' safe?" DJ shrugged. "Sure. But that can get boring and that's why women read shit like _50 Shades of Grey_ and watch movies like _Magic Mike_. Women want to feel protected, but they also want to feel passion." "So, what? You'd give up being safe for a good fight?" Daryl asked in disbelief. "I don't see why I can't have both," she admitted. "Greedy," Daryl joked. "I don't think it's unreasonable to want a man who treats me like a queen, respects me, loves me...but who also wants to pull my hair and slap my ass in the sheets." Daryl snorted, surprising both of them. "Did you really just say that?" he asked. DJ shrugged. "What? We're both adults here. We live in close quarters, we're gonna get to know each other one way or another. Might as well not be ashamed of anything."

"You think Eric's a pushover, but he won't do that if you asked him?" Daryl hadn't laughed this much in a long time. It felt good. "Nah, he looks like a talker. Like one of those guys who asks you if you like what they're doin' every ten seconds. I hate that." He was spared asking any more sexual questions when the sound of a baby crying broke the silence. Neither of them spoke for a while. They just sat there, listening to the sound of the newborn crying. Most of the camp was awake now, but not many poked their heads out. They'd meet the baby sooner or later, when Mrs. Gonzalez had had a chance to bond and get a little rest.

DJ sighed beside him. She looked over with teary eyes. "You ever had a kid?" she asked. He shook his head. "Ever wanted any?" He shrugged. Being a father wasn't something that had ever crossed Daryl's mind before the outbreak, that was for sure. But he wasn't sure anymore. It seemed weird that the zombie apocalypse would be the thing to kickstart his softer side, but since Lil Ass Kicker came into this world, he could totally see himself as a dad. One thing he knew for sure: he'd be a hell of a lot better dad than his old man had been. He'd teach his kids to ride a bike. He'd teach them to swim and hunt and track. He'd never hit them. Never.

DJ was still looking at him. "What about you?" he asked. She got a faraway look again but quickly shook herself out of it. "Never had kids before the outbreak," she told him. She bit her lip. "I kinda feel obligated to have some, though. Ya know, to repopulate." Daryl nodded. They both looked into the dying coals of the fire. Someone had calmed the baby down and the night was silent. Finally DJ stood. "I think I'm gonna go lay down. Charlie's on duty til dawn so if you need somewhere to crash, there's room for you." Daryl nodded. As she turned to leave, something made him stop her. She turned around. "Yeah?" "You shouldn't feel obligated...to have kids." She nodded with a sad smile. "And don't feel bad for wanting to be taken seriously," he told her. She looked up, surprised. Daryl shrugged. Despite the fact that he thought she was kind of weird, he saw she had a fighter's spirit and he liked that about her.

He didn't know what compelled him take DJ up on her offer a little while later. Well, other than the fact that thinking about all that he'd gone through made him tired down to his bones. He crawled in as quietly as possible. DJ seemed to be asleep. "You awake?" he whispered, just to be sure. She didn't move. Daryl settled himself in and tried to shut his mind off. He was tired of thinking. All he wanted was just one night, one hour even, where things felt normal again. He shut his eyes tight and imagined a lightbulb in a room filled with boxes and bags and random shit. He imagined his hand reaching up to shut off that light and everything went completely dark. He just kept thinking of the dark until he fell asleep.


	4. Wally World

DJ was up and sitting by the fire pit when Charlie was coming back from guard duty. She held out a PopTart for him as he sat down next to her. He took it and bit into it. He looked tired. "Rough night?" she asked. Charlie shrugged. "Not really. Pretty quiet." DJ nodded. "Daryl's in our tent," she told him. He looked over with a sly look. "Nothing happened. He was sharing with Glenn but now that Maggie's here..." Charlie nodded. DJ sighed. "Guess I need to make a supply run. See if I can't find some more tents and sleeping bags and shit for the new people." She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I guess I'll ask Eric to come with." "You should take two people." DJ nodded. "You need rest, though. I'll find someone to come," she told him. When Charlie finished his breakfast he pat DJ on the shoulder and walked off in the direction of their tent.

Soon people were stirring from their tents. Eric was passing but stopped when he noticed DJ. "You cold? I can start a fire," he told her. "Nah, I'm fine." DJ looked up at him. His eyes were filled with concern. She hated when he looked at her like that. "I need to make a supply run today. You in?" "Has this been cleared by the council?" he asked. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. "I haven't talked to them yet," she admitted. She didn't see how they'd be able to tell her no. The need was there. They had more people than they could accommodate currently and who knew when the number would grow. "We'll do it together," he told her. _You'd like that_ , she thought. She nodded.

After most of the camp was awake and moving around and Eric had eaten, they stood to gather the council. As they passed the tent DJ shared with Charlie, the flap opened and a tired looking Daryl ducked out in front of them. He looked from DJ to Eric. "'Sup?" he asked. "I need to make a supply run but we have to run it by the council first." Daryl looked around. DJ didn't know what he was looking for but he seemed to find it. "I'll go," he offered. "I think we can handle it," Eric told him. DJ rolled her eyes. "Actually, Charlie thought it would be best for three people to go. I agree," she told him. Eric frowned but nodded once. "I'm sure Bobby..." "He's got duty." Eric didn't look pleased. Daryl glared at Eric and DJ decided to diffuse the situation. "I've seen Daryl with that crossbow in action. We could use him." Eric nodded begrudgingly.

Daryl made to follow them to find the council but DJ stopped him. "Eat somethin'. We'll handle the council." He looked like he was going to argue, but thought better of it. He nodded and DJ smiled at him before turning back to follow Eric. He put his hand in the middle of her back and gently guided her away, making DJ want to recoil. She let him keep his hand there knowing it might make her father feel just a little more at ease.

They got the council, consisting of four men and four women (including both of DJ's parents), to gather in medic tent 1. "What's this about?" DJ's father asked. "I need to make a supply run. With the new people we've got in the last couple days we don't have enough tent space. Plus with Mrs. Gonzalez having had her baby she'll need diapers, bottles, baby clothes..." DJ looked from face to face. "Eric has agreed to accompany me and Daryl has offered to come as well. We'll make it as quick and safe as possible." After they heard DJ's request they asked DJ and Eric to step out. Eric held the flap open for DJ who stepped out and immediately looked anywhere but at him.

Looking out over the camp, DJ noticed Daryl over by the fire pit talking to someone she didn't recognize. Probably someone from his old group. "What's goin' on with you and that Daryl guy?" Eric asked, making it impossible for DJ to ignore him. She sighed quietly. "Nothin'." He gently grabbed her arm. She looked him in the eye. "Nothin'!" she repeated angrily. He didn't look convinced. "Not that it's any o' your damn business anyway." Eric gave her a calculating look. "I don't like 'im," he told her. "You don't know anything about 'im," DJ countered. "And you do? Enough for him to be sleepin' in your tent?" DJ laughed. "Jesus, Eric. Just let it fucking go." He frowned at her and let her arm go. "The council will approve the run. We'll find more tents," he told her. It was clearly implied that he meant ' _Daryl will not be sleeping in your tent again._ '

Within a matter of minutes DJ, Daryl, and Eric were packing up weapons and grabbing duffel bags to stash their haul in. They packed up the Jeep and DJ jumped in the driver's side. Daryl got in the back behind Eric. Before pulling onto the road, DJ switched out CDs. She was in a much better mood this time around and opted for a mix of upbeat pop songs. The first song that came on made Daryl groan. "What is this shit?" he complained. "Driver picks the tunes, everyone else puts their big kid panties on and shuts the fuck up," DJ answered. "Is it really necessary for you to cuss so much?" Eric asked. "If you wanna hang out with a lady, you're barkin' up the wrong tree, Jennings. Quit actin' like my mom." She heard Daryl chuckle in the back and suppressed a smirk.

The town wasn't too far off. It was about a twenty minute drive and there were hardly any zombies because they'd cleared it several times. DJ parked the Jeep outside of the Wal Mart. Off to the left there was a small group, maybe four or five, of zombies feeding. "Walkers to the left," Daryl grunted, picking up his crossbow and getting out of the Jeep as quietly as possible. DJ followed him out and went around to get her machete and pistol. They managed to get out without being noticed, but DJ hated leaving zombies alive. She started to walk over. Daryl put his arm out in front of her and shook his head. She shoved his arm off. "We see 'em, we kill 'em," she whispered. Daryl looked her over as if scanning her for information with his eyes. Finally he lifted his crossbow and took one out.

The others looked up. Slowly they rose from their feast and ambled toward DJ, Daryl, and Eric. DJ took one out with her machete, Daryl stabbed two with a loose arrow, and Eric took the last one down with his knife. After Daryl retrieved the arrow that had taken the first zombie down, they slipped inside the store. DJ took the lead despite Eric's adamant head shaking and eye rolling. "Alright, let's look for camping shit first. Grab anything that's left. Tents, flashlights, and any other camping supplies. We'll grab batteries on our way over to baby stuff." With the plan set they made their way to the camping section as quietly as possible.

The aisle was almost empty. There was one eight person tent, one ten person tent, and three four person tents. "How the fuck are we supposed to get this shit out?" Daryl whispered. DJ looked around. She could hear a zombie breathing somewhere in the store. She spotted an abandoned buggie at the end of the aisle and nodded toward it. Daryl went for it. The zombie showed itself and Daryl didn't hesitate. He pulled the arrow out of its head before it ever hit the ground. They loaded the buggie with the tents and chairs. "Batteries," DJ breathed. Eric took over driving the buggie while DJ went in front and Daryl covered him. DJ stuffed handfuls of batteries into the first duffel bag and continued on.

DJ led them to the baby section. She realized she hadn't had a chance to talk to Mrs. Gonzalez. She had no idea what the baby was. Eric put a hand on her back again and led her to the boys' section. "Just start grabbing stuff. All sizes. He'll outgrow everything faster than we can make runs. Same goes for diapers," DJ told them. Eric grabbed a box of diapers. "Take the diapers out of the box," Daryl told him. Eric looked at him questioningly. "Do it. It'll save room," DJ urged.

They grabbed bottles, pacifiers, clothes, diapers...for boys _and_ girls. There were other babies and toddlers besides Mrs. Gonzalez' boy and the new people's baby girl. "Formula, then we're done." The duffel bag was full and heavy, but DJ wasn't about to tell them that. Eric started grabbing formula and filling the second duffel bag. Daryl helped and when it was full, he hoisted it over his shoulder and nodded. "Let's get out of here," Eric said. He drove the buggie once more with DJ in front and Daryl in back. They made it out without incident to find more zombies had come to feed on whatever or whoever was over by the entrance.

DJ turned to Eric. "There's only a few of 'em. Put that shit in the back. Me an' Daryl can handle the zombies." Eric nodded, opened the back, and started unloading. Daryl and DJ took out the four zombies and got back in the Jeep as Eric pushed the buggie away and hopped in the back. "Let's go," he said. DJ drove out of the parking lot. "That was too easy," Daryl said uneasily. "We've been in there a bunch o' times. The first time we sent a huge group. The place was crawling with those undead bastards. It took four hours and cost us three good men before it was cleared. We come back fairly regularly and keep it clear," DJ explained.

They made it back to camp unscathed and loaded down with brand new supplies. DJ's father was waiting when they got back. "How did it go?" he asked. "Went off without a hitch," DJ told him. "We got tons of stuff for the babies, five tents, and a bunch o' sleepin' bags and batteries." Her father nodded. Now that he had ascertained that DJ was safe, there was a hardness in his eyes. DJ had seen it many times and it was never a good sign. "Now that you're back safely, I think you and I should have a talk." No matter how old she got, she would always wonder what she'd done to hear those words. Eric and Daryl were already unloading. DJ was tempted to try and postpone the talk to help them, but her father knew that trick. "I think the boys can handle it. Come." DJ frowned and followed her father back to RV 2, where he and her mother spent their nights.


	5. Staying

Daryl watched from the corner of his eye as DJ followed her dad over the RVs. Once she was in and the door was shut, he turned his full focus back to unloading the Jeep. His wandering eyes hadn't gone unnoticed however. He was rarely that lucky. Eric straightened up and got up close to Daryl. He could hear Merle's voice in his head, telling him to knock this idiot out, calling him a pussy, telling him that a Dixon don't take shit from no one. But Daryl wasn't Merle, and he was tired of fighting with everyone.

"Don't go gettin' any ideas," Eric said quietly. "Wasn't goin' to," Daryl replied, grabbing a tent and walking away. The last thing on Daryl's mind was romance, especially with DJ. He barely even knew her. Besides, Daryl had never been very good with women. Being raised mostly by his older brother and abusive father, he'd never learned how to act around women. And DJ was complicated as far as he could tell. From what she'd told him, he didn't stand a chance. No, best for him to do what he always did when it came to women: find an easy one, fuck her, and leave. He didn't have feelings for her anyway, but why should that stop him from admiring her nicely toned ass when she walked ahead of him?

He picked a spot to set up the new tent farther away from most everyone. Before the Governor came and fucked everything up, Daryl had finally started to feel like he belonged. He had hoped when he and Beth found this camp that he'd be able to feel that way again but so far he just felt like a freak. Most people in the camp looked at him suspiciously when they bothered to look at him at all. He was beginning to wonder whether he should stay. Of course he knew that if Rick was going to stay, he would too. Where else did he have to go? He didn't have a family anymore. No wife. No kids. Nothing and no one to worry about but himself. But Rick was his friend and he hadn't had one of those in years. Merle had made sure of that.

He focused on setting the tent up. Sweat dripped down his face as the hot Georgia sun beat down on his back. He was almost done when a shadow fell across his body. He looked up. Carol was standing over him, watching him with a sad look. "Rick wants everybody in Medic Tent 1," she told him. "I'll be there in a minute," he grunted. "Okay." She gave him a smile that didn't reach her eyes and walked over to the medical tent. Daryl wiped the sweat from his brow and started for the tent.

Several men and women stood directly outside and when he entered, what was left of the prison group stood in front of DJ's father. When everyone was accounted for, Dr. Bennett addressed the group. "On behalf of the council, I'd like to welcome y'all to our camp. The council has met and, now that Rick is looking much better, we've decided to extend an invitation to become permanent members of our group. The ultimate goal is survival, and our destination is Colorado. My brother has a safe place there where we can live in peace until this mess is sorted out," he told them. "Sorted out?" Daryl asked. Dr. Bennett eyed him unhappily. "There's a cure out there somewhere. Someone will find it. And if not, there's no reason why there can't be any survivors." Daryl thought this guy was a nut job, be he decided to keep that to himself. This camp was their best hope for survival. "You're all welcome to join us. Of course we have some rules, should you decide to stay..."

The rules were pretty easy to remember:

1\. They had one question that needed answering. If you wanted to stay, you had to answer it. Also, it was subject to follow up questions.  
2\. Everyone would have to take turns on guard duty at the least but there were plenty of jobs needed doing.  
3\. Any questions, concerns, or suggestions need to be run by the council, which was an elected group of eight men and women.  
4\. If there was any need for a supply run, it needed to be reviewed by the council.  
5\. And, of course, acts of needless violence, including rape or attempted rape would not be tolerated.

"What's the question?" Rick asked. "Since the outbreak, have you killed anyone living?" Most everyone in the group shuffled their feet awkwardly. Daryl didn't see how this group could deny that they had been justified. The Governor and his people had attacked them, unprovoked...mostly. They had a right to defend themselves against asshole pyschopaths. Carol looked down uncomfortably, but the doctor was only looking at Daryl. "Most of us have," he admitted. "Why?" Dr. Bennett asked. They always asked the same thing of others looking to join up with them. "Because some asshole who called himself the Governor rolled up to our camp with his group and fired on us. We had to defend ourselves." Dr. Bennett looked interested. "Why would he do that?" Daryl frowned. "He wanted our camp," Rick answered, making it clear to everyone that Michonne's name was to stay out of it.

Dr. Bennett focused on Rick. "We were holed up in a prison. It was pretty well secured and we had provisions. He wasn't open to compromise," Rick explained. "I see. Well, we certainly understand the need to defend one's people. It's a shame that some folks just don't see the sense in working together." Rick nodded in agreement. Daryl waited for the doctor to ask individually who had killed living people, but he didn't. Daryl guessed that he assumed the attack was the only reason any of them had killed people. "There's one other thing," Rick told the doc. Carol looked ready to hurl. "Back before we ever even got to the prison..." Carol relaxed. "What is it?" Rick rubbed a hand down his face. "I had to kill one of our own." Everyone was dead silent. Daryl glanced over at Carl, who looked down at his little sister bundled in his arms. "Why?" Dr. Bennett asked gently. "He attacked me. H-he lured me out into the woods, told me...well, there was this guy we were holdin' as prisoner...Shane wanted him dead but I wasn't sure. Shane killed the prisoner and lured me out into the woods. Told me the prisoner had escaped, beat 'im up, and took his gun. We never did find any trace of him and I started to suspect somethin' was wrong. Finally we stop in this field and Shane attacks me. I tried to fight 'im off. I tried to make him see sense but..." Rick shook his head.

The doctor nodded sadly. "I understand," he told him, patting him on the back. He walked past Daryl and stuck his head out of the tent. "You heard?" Daryl guessed they nodded because he didn't hear much of a response. A few seconds later he ducked back in. "The offer stands. Would you like some time to consider?" Rick looked at Daryl, then around at the faces of the group. It seemed pretty obvious that their best choice was to stay. Even if they did stand a chance out there on their own, what was the point? Where else did they have to go? Fort Benning was a bust and until now, they hadn't had any better ideas, no other prospects for safety. Rick caught Daryl's eye once more. Daryl nodded and Rick turned back to Dr. Bennett. "We accept your offer," he said. Dr. Bennett nodded with a small smile. It looked almost like a grimace on his stern, wrinkled face.

As they exited the tent, Daryl caught up to Carol. He knew they'd have to have a real conversation sooner or later, and he had some shit to say now. She stopped when he called her name. The hopeful smile left her lips as soon as she saw the look on his face. "What was that, Carol? Hmm?" She had the decency to look ashamed, but it wasn't going to change Daryl's mind. He was going to call her out on her shit. "Daryl, please..." "Rick was honest about what happened with Shane," Daryl growled. "I know that I should have said something, but what good would it have done? It would have just caused drama with Tyreese, and where would I go? They wouldn't let me stay here." "You don't know that," Daryl replied. "Oh, please. You think I don't see the way you and Rick look at me? Like I'm a murderer. You think they'd see it any differently? And what about Tyreese? You think he would have let it slide? He was in love with Karen." Daryl frowned at her.

"Would you have done things differently if it was me coughin' all over the place?" Carol didn't look him in the eye. "You say you did it for the group. Well what if it was me? Or Rick? Or Carl?" "I don't know," she whimpered. "Huh?" "I DON'T KNOW!" "Well maybe you better think about it," he hissed. He walked away and headed for his tent. He knew if it had been someone from the original group, Carol would have acted differently. She had acted out of fear. He refused to believe that Carol, his Carol, had turned cold. He spread out on his sleeping bag, thinking. He wanted to scream. The one time he thought he could maybe trust a woman she has to go batshit crazy. _I should give up on women all together,_ he thought. He heard someone grumbling angrily outside his tent.

"Thinks he can tell me who to talk to. Fuck that shit." The voice sounded familiar and it was right outside. He wanted peace and quiet. Was that really so much to ask? Just five minutes of peace? He groaned grumpily and crawled out. No one was there. He stood. DJ was sitting behind the tent, grumbling to herself and stabbing a stick into the ground. Daryl ran a hand down his face. He stood in front of her. She looked up with a surprised expression. "Mind keepin' your bitchin' to yourself?" he asked. "Shit, I didn't know anyone was in there," she told him. "Why don't you just go to your own tent?" She shrugged. "I wanted to be outside but I didn't want anyone to see me. Wasn't really wantin' to talk to people." Daryl squinted at her. "That s'pposed to be a hint or somethin'? 'Cause you're outside _my_   tent," he said. DJ didn't answer him right away. Eventually her mouth broke out in a huge grin and she laughed.

"The hell is so funny?" Daryl asked, still feeling pretty pissed off. DJ shrugged. "So what are you so pissy about?" she asked when she'd caught her breath. Daryl glared at her. "None o' your business," he said gruffly. DJ's eyes pored over him, making him feel like she was looking right through him. It was unsettling to say the least. "A woman," she concluded. Her nonchalant evaluation only served to piss him off further. "You some kinda psychic or some shit? You think you can just look at person figure 'em out? Why don't you mind your own goddamn business!" DJ stood. She said nothing but bumped him hard with her shoulder as she walked away.

Daryl sighed and crawled back in his tent. His anger had already dissipated. He was still annoyed and probably would be for a while, but he was honestly just too tired to be angry anymore. He had too much on his mind to fall asleep, but he laid there for a long time. His mind kept going over all the things he'd been holding onto for days. Mostly he just kept debating whether or not to tell Tyreese what had really happened to Karen. On one hand, he had a right to know. On the other, it would cause a lot of issues. Tyreese would be enraged. He might attack Carol and Daryl was tired of diffusing fights. Plus it was bound to get out and stir up shit in the camp. What if they all got kicked out for not telling them what Carol had done in the first place? This camp offered the best chance of survival, even if it did mean they were going to Colorado with a bunch of strangers to live with some Doomsday Prepper. For now he'd leave it alone and hope that there was a shred of humanity left in Carol and that she'd come clean.


	6. Kumbaya & Other Bullshit

Deep down DJ wasn't really angry at Daryl at all. She was angry with herself for not keeping her mouth shut. It didn't matter what Daryl's problem was. They weren't even friends. She shouldn't care. Her dad had told her to stay away from him and maybe he was right. Daryl obviously wasn't interested in making friends, so why should she bother? She wandered aimlessly through camp. If anyone talked to her, she hadn't noticed. She found herself back in her tent, where Charlie was reading a book. She sat down with no intention of talking, but Charlie put down his book and caught her eye. He gave her a knowing look and waited patiently for her to vent. DJ sighed.

"Dad can be really annoying sometimes," she told him. "I'm aware. What happened?" "When I got back from the supply run, he wanted words," DJ answered. "What did he say specifically?" Charlie wanted to know. "Apparently someone saw Daryl come to our tent and rumors got started about us but it's all bullshit." Charlie nodded. "He told me that - and I swanney I didn't make this shit up - he told me that my place was with Eric and it was time I grew up and learned that I needed to put the greater good before what I want." Charlie knit his eyebrows together and shook his head. "Seriously?" DJ nodded. "And when I told him I didn't want Eric, that I don't love him, he told me it didn't matter. It's the end of the world. If we survive this, I need to put all that aside and help repopulate because I'm young and able. He said that maybe if I give it time, I could love Eric. And most disturbingly, he told me that even if I never love Eric, I'll love our babies and that should be enough."

It sounded almost as ridiculous when she said than when her father had said it. "I can't believe even _Dad_   could be that cold." "I know, right? Basically he told me to stay away from Daryl because whether there _is_   anything there or not, some people in the camp believe there is and it looks bad." Charlie whistled and ran a hand over his face. "And the worst part of all of this shit is that our parents have basically convinced Eric that I should be his by rights. So now he thinks we're gonna get to Colorado, get married, and start poppin' out babies." Charlie looked at her in disbelief. "And you're welcome, by the way," she told him. "For what?" Charlie asked. "Our parents are too busy dealing with me to pawn you off on some girl." Charlie's eyes got big and his mouth formed a perfect little circle. "Yeah, bet you didn't even think about that, did you?"

Charlie changed the subject. "I heard the new people decided to stay," he told her. "All of them?" she asked. "Yep." DJ nodded nonchalantly. She wouldn't show it, but excitement was bubbling in the pit of her stomach. More people meant she might actually be able to take a break from babysitting. Not to mention, she would have more opportunity to get to know Daryl, or at least observe him. She shouldn't want to, but he was a mystery and DJ loved solving puzzles.

Before DJ could think of anything else to say, someone stopped in front of their tent. The person cleared their throat. "Diana, your mother would appreciate some help preparing dinner." DJ rolled her eyes. "Comin'," she replied. Her dad walked away. " _You_ could help, ya know," DJ stated. Charlie sighed but took the hint. When they reached the fire pit there were at least a dozen people busying themselves with food preparation. DJ's mother and sister-in-law were cutting vegetables. Maggie, Beth, Rick, and one of the other new people were peeling potatoes. Bobby, Eric, Carl, Glenn, Daryl, and another new person were carrying three deer carcasses between them.

DJ and Charlie walked over to where their mother was. "What do you need?" DJ asked. "Charlie, dear, if you could just get the fire started and then check on Brandon and Jacob with the water. Diana, you can help Rachel and I cut the vegetables." Charlie left them to it and DJ sat down. Her mother handed her a clean knife and some potatoes. They chopped on one large makeshift cutting board. It was really an old, small table top that they sat on some logs. DJ kept glancing over where the men worked on the deer. She should be doing that, not chopping potatoes and carrots and onions. When she looked back to her work, her mother was scowling at her. She wanted to roll her eyes but instead dropped them and cut another potato.

They had a stew of venison, carrots, potatoes, and onions for dinner. The entire camp sat around the fire pit and ate. People were talking and laughing and it was one of those nights where it felt like things could be normal again someday, maybe even right now. DJ was between Eric and Charlie. The stew was damn good, but she couldn't enjoy it. She tried not to think too much, or at all. But Eric sat too close. His knee was brushing hers and she felt a hundred eyes on her. She just wanted to go back to her tent and sleep. When most everyone was done eating, DJ's dad got their attention. DJ looked up, stirring the last few bites of her stew around idly. She glanced to her left. Ray was staring at her. He looked away when he noticed her looking back.

"Tonight is a very special night. Tonight we're welcoming eleven new people into our fold. Tonight is also our last night here. Tomorrow we gather our things and we get back on the road. I've had communication from our scouting party. There's a town about forty miles from here that they think would be a good place to stay for a short while. We'll gather what we can from the town and be on our way." The camp burst into cheers. DJ wished they'd shut up. The guards and hunters had done a good job of keeping the area around the camp pretty clear, but zombies still found their way to their area every day.

When the applause died down, DJ's father smiled at her. It made her uneasy. "Diana, how about a song?" She didn't feel like singing. She felt like curling up under a rock and not coming out for a hundred years, if there was anything to come back out to. Her father smiled but it was strained. Her mother nodded encouragingly. She sighed. "Fine," she grumbled. Charlie hadn't brought his guitar, so it was just going to be her voice over the crackling of the fire. She stared into the flames as she took a deep breath.

_"Oh, misty eye of the mountain below_  
 _Keep careful watch of my brothers' souls_  
 _And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke_  
 _Keep watching over Durin's sons..."_

Her voice sounded haunting, even to her own ears. She paused.

_"If this is to end in fire_  
 _Then we should all burn together_  
 _Watch the flames climb high into the night_  
 _Callin' out father, oh, stand by and we will_  
 _Watch the flames burn auburn on the mountain side_

_And if we should die tonight_  
 _We should all die together_  
 _Raise a glass of wine for the last time_  
 _Callin' out father, oh, prepare as we will_  
 _Watch the flames burn auburn on the mountain side_  
 _Desolation comes upon the sky..."_

Faces swam through her mind. People they'd lost.

_"Now I see fire, inside the mountain_  
 _I see fire, burnin' the trees_  
 _And I see fire, hollowin' souls_  
 _I see fire, blood in the breeze_  
 _And I hope that you'll remember me..._

_Oh should my people fall_  
 _Then surely I'll do the same_  
 _Confined in mountain halls_  
 _We got too close to the flame_  
 _Callin' out father, oh, hold fast and we will_  
 _Watch the flames burn auburn on the mountain side_  
 _Desolation comes upon the sky..."_

Charlie harmonized quietly for the chorus. A small smile played at the corners of DJ's lips. They'd lost so many people, but by some miracle she still had her brothers.

_"And if the night is burning_  
 _I will cover my eyes_  
 _For if the dark returns_  
 _Then my brothers will die_  
 _And as the sky's falling down_  
 _It crashed into the lonely town_  
 _And with that shadow upon the ground_  
 _I hear my people screamin' out_

_I see fire, inside the mountains_  
 _I see fire, burnin' the trees_  
 _And I see fire, hollowin' souls_  
 _I see fire, blood in the breeze_

_I see fire, oh you know I saw a city burnin'_  
 _I see fire, feel the heat upon my skin_  
 _And I see fire, fire_  
 _I see fire burnin' auburn on the mountain side..."_

Charlie squeezed her shoulder and DJ looked up as if coming out of a trance. Every eye was on her. Some people wiped away tears. Some just stared at her solemnly. She felt more uncomfortable than she ever had. _Maybe it wasn't the most appropriate song to sing_ , she reflected. But it had felt right. It certainly fit her mood better than some bullshit happy song. She couldn't stand sitting around the fire pretending like this was some big community camping trip. She got up and walked to her tent without another word.

No one had come after her, which she was more than grateful for. She figured Charlie was on guard duty. She wasn't sure how long she had laid on her sleeping bag waiting for sleep to take her. She knew it had to have been a while. She had heard heavy footsteps outside as people scurried back to their own tents to spend time with their families. That had been a long time ago, though. It had been quiet for at least an hour.

Then there were footsteps outside her tent. As the noise drew closer there was a sloshing sound. Suddenly she could smell liquor right outside her tent. She sighed. Ray was drunk again and probably looking to fight someone. She expected him to keep walking, but he unzipped her tent instead. Maybe he wasn't drunk yet. Maybe he wanted her to drink with him, keep him from getting too far gone. But when he crawled in smelling of booze with a crazed look in his eye, she tensed.

Normally when Ray was drunk he went around until he found someone else who was up. Then he'd talk some shit, throw some punches, and sleep it off in a medic tent. He'd never crawled in anyone else's tent before. "What are you doing in here, Ray? Go get some sleep." "Don't wanna sleep alone t'night," he garbled. He zipped the tent back up and grinned at DJ. She looked down at his hand. A bottle of gin rested against his hip. He knocked it over as he crawled on top of DJ and pinned her down. He was stronger than she'd ever imagined.

She felt herself start to panic. She knew she needed to calm herself down. Maybe she could talk him out of her tent, or at least keep him occupied until he passed out or decided to get off of her. And if she couldn't, well, she hoped it would be quick. A few thrusts and he'd roll over and sleep and she could go get some water and scrub herself until she didn't feel as dirty. She was brought out of her thoughts when she smelled the liquor on Ray's breath. He was in her face, nose to nose. She forced herself to keep her eyes open, though her instincts told her to close them and picture herself far, far away.

"You don't belong with Eric, ya know? Or that Daryl guy neither. You oughta be with someone who understands you. I could love you better than anyone else. I'd be good to you. Beau was my best friend." His eyes were glistening with tears. He closed them and kissed her roughly, forcing his tongue inside her mouth. She tasted gin and wrinkled her nose."Ray, please," she whimpered, pulling her head as far away from his as she could with her body pinned. He tightened his grip on her wrists and she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out in pain. If she could manage to get him off of her, she'd still have some bruises to explain.

"Beau was my best friend. Maybe it didn't work out with y'all but it could work with _us_ ," Ray hissed. The smell of gin made DJ want to recoil but she couldn't move. She felt his erection against her leg as he trailed kisses down her neck. It was real. It was happening. For the first time in over a year, tears flowed from DJ's eyes. Ray kept her pinned with one hand and slammed the other up her shirt. He pinched her nipple too hard and a sob escaped her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there's some, kind of old, southern slang in this chapter. I thought I'd go ahead and make a glossary in general of various southern slang for those of you who are unfamiliar. You never know when it'll come in handy.
> 
> Swanney - Another way of saying "swear". Often used as an exclamation, but not always.  
> Prn. Swah-nee  
> Ex. *loud boom* "I SWANNEY!" or "I heard that loud thunder last night and I swanney, I thought I was gonna have a heart attack."
> 
> Y'all - You all. This is generally used in reference to 2 to 4 people. Any more than that is typically referred to as "all y'all".  
> Prn. Yawl  
> Ex. "We heard y'all got about 6 inches of snow last night." (lol this doesn't happen in the south...except in the mountains.)
> 
> Bless His/Her/Your Heart - Typically said after hearing someone else's bad news.  
> Ex. "Did you hear Tammy Lynn's mama's in the hospital?" "Oh, bless her heart."
> 
> God Love 'Em/Him/Her - Typically said while gossiping before saying something rude about another person.  
> Ex. God love him but he ain't the brightest bulb in the pack.
> 
> Holler - 1. To shout.  
> Ex. "You know when he's about to holler 'cause he takes a real deep breath."
> 
> 2\. To call someone.  
> Ex. "If y'all need anything, just give us a holler."
> 
> 3\. A place name. I'm not kidding. Typically used in place of 'hollow'.  
> Ex. "You're from Tennessee? My mama grew up in Possum Holler." (This is true. My mom grew up in an area known as Possum Holler.)
> 
> Also song credit - "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran (Desolation of Smaug soundtrack)


	7. Daryl To The Rescue

Daryl couldn't sleep no matter how hard he tried. He heard a baby cry and wondered if it was Judith, or if it was some other kid. He wondered how Rick did it. He couldn't imagine being left a with a teenage son and a brand new baby girl with no wife to help him. He'd be totally lost. _Don't matter. No one would wanna have a kid with me anyway,_ he thought to himself. He decided if he couldn't sleep, he could make himself useful and add himself to the guards outside the camp. He grabbed his trusty crossbow and headed out. As he passed the fire pit, he heard muffled noises. _Probably Maggie and Glenn goin' at it_ , he thought with a shudder. Then he heard the sob. His feet automatically carried him toward the sound. He stopped in front of DJ's tent.

"Beau wouldn't want you to do this," DJ choked out. "Shut up," someone growled. DJ sniffled and sobbed. Rage boiled up from Daryl's core. Without thinking, he tore the front of the tent open and grabbed the scrawny bastard by the back of his shirt. DJ put a hand to her mouth to muffle her scream. Daryl dragged Ray out of the tent, seeing red. He dropped his bow and used his newly freed hand to pound Ray's face as hard as he could. A few seconds later people were coming out of their tents to see what the ruckus was. DJ crawled out and gingerly placed a hand on Daryl's arm. Ray was passed out and his face was covered in blood by now. Daryl got in one last punch before he slumped backward into the grass. No one moved except DJ.

She was still crying. Daryl didn't know what to do. There she was, crying, scared, just been violated by some drunk asshole and she was asking him if he was okay. "'M okay," he grunted, still in a daze. He hadn't even thought twice, just beat the shit out of a guy he barely knew. He looked at DJ. Her face was splotchy and soaked with tears. "You okay?" he asked. He mentally kicked himself. _Of course she's not okay, you dumbfuck. She just got..._ He didn't even want to think the word. Everything had happened in such a blur. Had Ray gotten that far? "I'll be fine. Come on. You're bleedin'," she replied.

Daryl let DJ guide him to the nearest medic tent. As she was cleaning his busted lip, Eric carried Ray in. "Don't bring that asshole in here," Daryl roared, anger flaring back up. He stood threateningly. "Daryl!" DJ exclaimed, gently pushing him back down onto the cot. She looked at Eric. "Take him to the other tent," she directed him. "I'm not leaving you in here by yourself with him," Eric replied firmly, nodding to Daryl. Daryl had never seen such a wild look in a woman's eyes before. It was like lightning flowed in DJ's veins. "You listen to me, Eric Jennings. You take that drunk ass son of a bitch to the other goddamn tent and you shut your fucking mouth about Daryl." Eric was stubborn, though. "He's a loose cannon." Daryl thought DJ was about to lose it. He half expected her to punch him. Daryl certainly wanted to.

She got right in Eric's face. She tried for all the world to be intimidating but Daryl guessed she couldn't be more than five foot three. "You think _Daryl_   is a threat to me? How 'bout the reason he bashed Ray's fucking face in is because he forced himself into my tent, pinned me down, and tried to fuck me? Hm? How 'bout that?" Eric's jaw clenched. "So I'm gonna ask you one more time. Take Ray to the other tent," she finished in a dangerously soft voice. Eric gave her a hard look, then scooped Ray up and carried him out. DJ turned her attention back to Daryl, her expression softening only a little.

She took out another wipe from the first aid kit and dabbed at Daryl's lip. It stung but he didn't wince. "Who's Beau?" he asked. DJ tensed and Daryl immediately regretted asking. She stared into his eyes for a moment. "My ex-husband," she answered finally, turning to throw the bloody wipe into a small garbage can. Her voice was flat, suggesting she didn't really want to talk about it so Daryl didn't ask. He realized she'd stopped crying and wondered when that had happened. "Are you..." "I'm fine. Really," DJ interrupted. Daryl wasn't convinced. "It's okay if you're not," he told her softly. Tears were springing to DJ's eyes but she blinked them back and busied herself with cleaning the blood from a shallow cut above his right eye.

"I'm fine." The more she said it, the less he believed it. It was clear to him that she was saying it more for her own benefit. He knew that approach well. He'd used it his whole life. "Did he...?" DJ sighed. "Did he what?" "Did he actually..." DJ put a bandage on the cut. "Did actually get his dick in me? Is that what you're asking?" An image flashed in Daryl's mind. When he'd pulled Ray off, DJ's shorts were around her ankles. But was that real? He winced. "No," she sighed. "Let's just leave it at that." He nodded. Before either of them could speak again, DJ's father rushed in looking pale. "Eric just told me..." "I'm fine. Please do _not_   freak out."

He looked at her like he wasn't convinced. "Is Dr. Hamilton with Ray?" Daryl felt his cheeks get hot with indignation. That asshole had just sexually assaulted her and she was asking about him like she gave a shit? Apparently her father felt the same. "You've just been assaulted and you're asking after the man who did it?" he asked incredulously. She rolled her eyes. "Trust me, when he sobers up I have some choice words for him, but for now, might as well find out if Daryl broke his jaw." Dr. Bennett seemed to notice Daryl for the first time. "Looks like Ray got in some good licks," he muttered. Daryl didn't really know how to respond.

"'M okay," he said awkwardly. Dr. Bennett nodded and turned his attention back to DJ. "He's lost a few teeth and his nose is broken. He'll have some severe bruising, but he's otherwise fine." _Didn't hit him hard enough then_ , Daryl thought. "Jesus," DJ whispered. She focused on Daryl with a look of wonder. He shrugged. It had been the right thing to do. He'd do it over again if he had to. They just stared at each other for a long moment until Dr. Bennett cleared his throat and DJ put her focus back on him. She shuffled her foot awkwardly. "So...what are you gonna do?" she asked quietly. "I'll have to consult the council on that, but I have a feeling..."

Eric came back in with one of DJ's brothers. The taller one. Daryl thought it must be Bobby because he wasn't wearing a shirt and there was a bandage on his shoulder. Bobby looked his sister over with a scrutinizing gaze. Then he looked in Daryl's direction. He slowly walked over. "You stopped him?" he asked. Daryl nodded. Bobby held his hand out. Daryl was too shocked for a second to do anything. He quickly regained his wits and shook Bobby's hand. Daryl glanced in DJ's direction. She was looking at them with a look he couldn't name. Bobby turned to his dad. "Charlie?" Dr. Bennett shook his head. "He's on duty..." DJ held her hands up. "Whoa, whoa. Can we just calm the fuck down for a second? I'd say a good chunk of the camp already saw Daryl's magnificent display of testosterone induced madness. Odds are word's gonna get around pretty quick. I think _I_   should be the one to tell Charlie what happened." Bobby frowned. "Then who's gonna tell mom?" DJ's eyes got wide. "No one. For the love of God, no one."

Bobby shook his head. "Like you said, sis, word's gonna get out fast. She'll be pissed as hell if she hears it from anyone but one of us." Daryl watched them go back and forth on the subject. DJ finally relented. "Fine. Just let me finish up with Daryl. I'll be out in a minute." Her father looked ready to protest but Bobby steered him out. Eric lingered at the opening of the tent. After a few seconds he walked out. DJ stood in front of Daryl. "Sorry," she said. "For what?" Daryl asked. She shrugged. "We kinda just ignored you." Daryl almost smiled. "'S okay." She looked exhausted. "You should sleep," he told her. "Probably," she admitted. She lightly touched the bandage over his eye. It tickled and stung at the same time. "You should rest," she told him. "Can't. Tyreese snores like a freight train." DJ chortled quietly.

The silence was becoming noticeable. "What d'ya think they'll do with him?" Daryl asked softly. DJ didn't answer right away. Daryl wondered if she knew what they'd do and didn't want to say. Finally she sighed. "They'll leave him behind." Daryl frowned. "That's it? After what he did, _that's_   the worst they can come up with?" A small, sad smile forced it's way to DJ's lips. "Ray ain't like you, Daryl. He'll die on his own." Her voice was soft, barely audible. Why did he get the feeling she felt bad for Ray? He searched her face for a clue. "You feel guilty," he realized. "It's kind of a long story and we don't have time. Come on. If Tyreese's snorin' bothers you that bad you can sleep in my tent." Daryl looked down. "Don't think that's a good idea," he grumbled. "It's fine. I won't be sleepin' tonight."

Daryl followed her out of the medic tent. They separated after a few paces. He walked off in the direction of DJ's tent, knowing full well he wouldn't be sleeping either. He looked at the torn up fabric. In his haste to get in and stop Ray, he'd literally torn the front of the tent to shreds. He peeked inside. He could smell sweat and alcohol. He scanned the tent and found the almost empty bottle of gin. "Fuckin' pussy," he grumbled, grabbing the bottle. He walked off towards the woods. He wasn't sure if the guards would let him pass, but all he wanted to do was toss the bottle in the woods and come right back.

"Where are you...Daryl?" The closes guard had stopped him. Daryl guessed by the way he'd recognized him, yet Daryl didn't recall having met him, he must be DJ's other brother. It made sense. He saw him with DJ more often than alone around camp. The only other person who tailed DJ that much was Eric. "I just need a minute," Daryl told him. Charlie nodded. "Be quick." Daryl sprinted just inside the treeline and tossed the bottle against the nearest pine. It hadn't exactly gotten all his aggression out, but it had helped some. He walked back to the edge of the camp and nodded at Charlie, who stopped him.

"We heard some commotion in the camp. What's goin' on?" Daryl frowned. "And what happened to you?" Charlie seemed to notice the bruises, busted lip, and cut eye. "Talk to...your sister...or your brother...or your dad..." Charlie looked at him confused. "They okay?" Daryl nodded and walked back into camp before Charlie could ask any more questions.


	8. Survivor's Guilt

The council met at first light. Daryl had offered to sit outside with DJ while they decided what to do with Ray. Charlie was dead on his feet so DJ had sent him to sleep, and Bobby and Eric were both on the council. She didn't want to be alone. Daryl sat with her in the grass a few feet away from Medic Tent 2 where the council was holding the trial. The rest of the camp was busy gathering their belongings and packing up their cars. DJ watched them scurry without really seeing them. All she could think of was Ray.

"So who decides who's on the council?" Daryl asked, giving DJ a welcome distraction. "There was a nomination and then a vote. Everyone 16 and older gets to nominate someone and vote." Daryl nodded. "So your parents are on the council, and Bobby, and Eric...who else?" "Dr. Hamilton, obviously. Jeanette Williams, she's been a nurse for almost 20 years. Willa Johnson, she taught high school English for like 30 years or something before all this. I actually had her my senior year." "Really?" DJ nodded. "And then Rosalia Martinez. She was a Kindergarten teacher." "Did you vote for any of them?" Daryl asked her. "I voted for Bobby, Dr. Hamilton, and Mrs. Williams," she admitted. "But not your parents? Or Eric?" DJ bit her lip and shook her head.

When it was quiet, she could hear murmuring from the tent. She really didn't want to hear anything, so she had to distract herself. "My dad is a natural born leader," she told him. "But you didn't vote for him." DJ shook her head again. "He won't admit it, but he enjoys power. He lives to be in control. He can be pretty intimidating, which I don't think is a good thing for a person in a position of power. It makes me question if people agree with him because they really believe in what he says, or if they're too scared to oppose him," she explained. "Oh. That makes sense," Daryl agreed. "How come you didn't vote for your mom or Eric?" DJ sighed. "My mom is old school. She's one of those women who stands by her husband no matter what. She'd never deny my dad anything. Voting for her would have been the same as voting for my dad. Even if she'd made it on the council and he didn't, she'd take his opinions into consideration more than anyone else's. I didn't vote for Eric because despite the fact that he's a Marine and obviously tough, he's not really a leader."

Daryl nodded, though his face betrayed his confusion. DJ sighed. "He's been best friends with Bobby for as long as I can remember, probably longer. When we were kids, he used to follow Bobby around. Whatever Bobby decided they were doing, Eric went with it for the most part. Bobby's a daredevil though, and Eric is more level-headed. They balance each other out, I guess." "What about the others? Why didn't you vote for them?" DJ wondered if he was actually curious or if he could tell she just wanted to keep talking. Either way, she welcomed his questions.

"Well, I like Miss Jeanette. She's a nice lady. But I don't know, with two doctors and a midwife on the council already, I just figured we should get someone with some other skill. I didn't vote for Rosalia because..." DJ felt stupid. She hadn't told anyone who she'd voted for, except Bobby and Charlie, and she knew she would sound like a whiny child if she told Daryl why she hadn't voted for Martinez. He looked at her expectantly. She frowned.

"She only got so many votes because most of the men voted for her because she's young and hot. And the moms voted for her because she's a teacher and good with kids. And some of the older girls voted for her because they see her as this cool older cousin or something because she's my age." Daryl made a noncommittal noise in his throat. "What?" DJ demanded. "Nothin'," he replied. "Just say what you wanna say," DJ huffed. Daryl shrugged. "Just sounds like you're jealous is all," he said casually. DJ's cheeks went pink. "I am not," she grumbled. "Mmhmm," Daryl replied. DJ crossed her arms and looked away. Daryl laughed a little at her expense. "You're an asshole," she hissed. "Oh come on, it's kinda funny. What're you so jealous for anyway? You just said they had enough medical people on the council..."

DJ didn't say anything. The voices in the tent were getting louder and she thought she heard a muffled sob. "Are you jealous 'cause you think she's prettier?" Daryl chided. DJ snapped her head around to look at him. "Fuck you, Daryl. Fuck you." Daryl looked surprised. "You are. You're jealous 'cause o' the way she looks!" DJ rolled her eyes. "First of all, I'm really not that vain. I'd rather be intelligent and strong willed than look like a fucking Disney princess. Second, I'm not fucking jealous. She just gets on my nerves with her sunny disposition and ability to make everyone think the sun shines out her ass," she snapped.

Daryl grinned. "Did you even get nominated?" he asked. DJ stuck her tongue out at him. "You know why, don't you?" She was beginning to regret taking him up on his offer. "You didn't get nominated because you're not afraid to speak your mind." His words surprised her. She trained her eyes on his face. He looked sincere, almost soft. "I don't know you that well, but it's pretty obvious that you don't take shit from no one. You're independent, you're a fighter, and you'd probably make it real difficult to get anything done because you won't compromise what you think is right for the sake of making everyone else happy." DJ's mouth opened and closed uselessly. She was speechless, for the first time in her whole life, she had no words.

"You don't have anything to worry about," Daryl told her softly. "People like you." He paused. " _Men_ like you," he finished awkwardly. In all honesty, DJ wasn't worried about that. She'd never had trouble with guys before and she didn't think an apocalypse would stop her either. If she wanted sex, she could get it. Daryl squirmed uncomfortably, bringing her from her thoughts. "Yeah, well, I ain't worried about that," she told him. He wasn't looking at her. She followed his gaze. The camp was starting to look bare. Families were loading up their vehicles, waiting for the council to finish. A few people were taking down the other medic tent.

The council was almost finished. She heard her father's voice and knew he was passing judgement, reading out the verdict. DJ put her head between her knees. She felt like she would vomit at any moment. She felt a light touch in the middle of her back. Glancing to her left, she saw that Daryl had come closer. "You okay?" he asked quietly. She shook her head. He rubbed his hand in gentle circles in the middle of her back. Suddenly her skin was hypersensitive and rather than comforting her, Daryl's touch was painful. A layer of sweat formed on her brow and her stomach churned. She stood quickly and ran for the nearest tree as the flap to the tent opened.

She bent down in the grass and was sick. Tears stung at her eyes and she let them fall. She hated puking. She heard a twig snap behind her. She turned her head to see Eric looking down at her with concern. She felt disappointment settle in her chest. Why hadn't Daryl come after her? She wiped her mouth with the palm of her hand. Eric didn't say anything as he offered DJ his hand. She took it and he pulled her to her feet. He ran a hand through her curls. For a second she forgot how boring he was. His square jaw and broad shoulders made him swoon worthy. She looked up at him. At 6'2" he was almost a full foot taller than DJ. His brown eyes were deep and where crow's feet from laughing should be, there were none, because Eric was serious. DJ suddenly realized she'd been grasping his thick, muscled arms and loosened her grip. His face was also a lot closer than it had been seconds earlier. She pulled away as his eyes were closing and felt sick again. "I just barfed," she mumbled.

She stalked out of the woods with Eric at her heels. She felt worse now than before she'd puked. The entire council watched her pass, but she couldn't look at any of them. She shut her eyes tight and ran as she heard sniffles coming from the medic tent. She didn't hear footsteps behind her, so she guessed they all knew better than to follow. As she reached her car, her knees buckled and she collapsed by the driver's side tire in tears. Moments later she heard someone say her name softly. She didn't look to see who it was, just buried her face in her hands and kept crying.


	9. 40 Miles West

Eric had insisted he follow after DJ and Daryl should be getting ready to head out. Daryl had decided not to protest, though all he had was his crossbow and the new tent he shared with Tyreese and Bob. He wasn't even sure who he'd be riding with. Glenn had the truck he'd shown up in, but Maggie and Beth would obviously ride with him. Rick, Carl, and Michonne had a car, and if they all rode together there wouldn't be room for more. Not with Lil Ass Kicker's carseat. He sighed went to roll up his sleeping bag.

"Daryl? Can I talk to you?" Carol's voice was apprehensive. Daryl wasn't sure he really wanted to talk to her at the moment, but there was nowhere to hide. "What?" he grunted, tying the ends of the sleeping bag so it would stay rolled up. He picked it up and straightened to his full height. "I just wanted to tell you that I talked to Tyreese this morning." This news surprised him. "And?" Carol frowned. "He forgave me." Daryl scratched his nose. "Just like that?" he asked. "When I told him, he was strangely calm. Asked me if it was quick or did she suffer. It was quick, of course. I handed him my gun and I told him to do what he had to do."

Her eyes were on the ground as she spoke. Daryl guessed it had something to do with the way her husband had treated her. "That was selfish," he told her. She knit her eyebrows together and looked at him. "How so?" "Did you even think about the affect it would've had on the rest of the group if you'd got yourself killed? What were you thinkin' givin' him your gun after you told him what you done to Karen?" Carol smiled sadly. "What did I have to lose? My husband's dead. My daughter's dead. Lizzie and Mika are dead. And you...you've given up on me. What else was left?" Daryl wanted to shake her. How could she be so stupid?

"What you did was wrong. It was crazy and it was stupid and it was wrong. But just because you screwed up doesn't mean Rick and I ever stopped carin' 'bout you." Tears spilled from Carol's eyes to her cheeks. Daryl resisted the urge to wipe them away. He couldn't do that anymore. Whatever he was to her before, he couldn't be that now. He still cared about her, but he couldn't look at her the same. He knew because he'd tried. "The decision Rick made to leave you behind was out of fear. He was scared how Tyreese would react. He was scared you'd lost it and you weren't safe anymore. He had to do what he thought was best for the rest of us. For his kids. But we're a family and you're still a part of that." Carol sniffled. "Thank you," she whispered. Daryl nodded and left her standing by the tent.

He walked in the direction of the cars. He saw a blur run past him and then collapse in front of a dark blue Prius. It took a second to realize it was DJ. He walked over and looked down at her crumpled form as she sobbed into her hands. "DJ?" She didn't look up. Daryl set down his crossbow and sleeping bag and crouched down in front of her. He wasn't really sure what to do. Comforting hysterical women wasn't something Dixon men were wont to do. If it were his father in this situation, he'd probably just slap her and tell her to shut up. Merle would've rolled his eyes and walked away, muttering under his breath about how women weren't good for nothin' but makin' sandwiches. But Daryl wasn't his father and he wasn't his brother, nor did he want to be. Still, the last time he'd tried to comfort her she'd run off a puked in the woods.

So he sat himself down next to her and waited. She looked up a moment later, wiping tears from her face. "Hey," she tried to say. It came out more like a whimper. "You okay?" She nodded. He didn't know what to say next, so he was silent. She sniffled and put her hand over his. It was warm. Daryl tried to ignore it. "I never thanked you," she told him, "for what you did. So, thank you." Daryl shrugged. "It was nothin'," he insisted. She shook her head. "It was brave and it was noble and I'm grateful." No one had ever described Daryl as noble, and he had never expected them to.

DJ lifted her hand and gently touched the bandage above Daryl's eye. "We should change the bandage," she told him quietly. She stood and dusted off her shorts. Daryl stood too, but didn't bother to dust himself off. DJ stuck her hand into her shirt without warning. Daryl's cheeks went hot. She pulled out a car key and pressed a button. The trunk to the Prius opened behind him. DJ rummaged around and pulled out a first aid kit. "Come 'ere," she called. Daryl stood beside her. She turned to him with another one of those damn alcohol wipes. "On your knees," she commanded. He raised his eyebrows at her. "On your knees," she repeated firmly. Daryl found himself wondering how many times she'd said that to a man in other situations as he obeyed.

DJ ripped the bandage from Daryl's eyebrow and he hissed in pain. "Sorry. Had to be done." She didn't sound sorry. She tore the wipe from the wrapper and dabbed his wound with it. It didn't sting as bad this time. "Decided who you're ridin' with?" she asked casually as she cleaned his cut. Daryl kept his eyes trained on the treeline in the distance. "No," he answered. "Good. You can ride with me and Charlie, then." Daryl nodded, then held his head still while DJ put another bandage over the cut. He started to stand. DJ put her hand on top of his head and pushed him back down. She took his chin in her hand and lifted his face. "Lip," she told him.

He didn't wince as she cleaned his busted lip, though it was swollen and painful even without her rubbing it with alcohol. Someone was coming and Daryl had an idea who. He saw the shadow before he saw the combat boots. Eric cleared his throat. "Hey," DJ said without looking at him. To Daryl she rolled her eyes. He almost smiled. "Are you alright?" Eric asked her. "Dandy," she replied, finishing with Daryl's lip. She gently ran her thumb across it with a frown. "All done," she told him. He stood slowly. "Daryl's ridin' with me and Charlie," DJ told Eric. He didn't look thrilled but he couldn't argue. Daryl _had_   saved DJ from Ray. So he nodded.

"How are we dividing up the others?" Eric asked. DJ shrugged. "Glenn, Maggie, and Beth are goin' in the truck Glenn came in. Probably Rick, Carl, Michonne, and the baby will be in the car _they_   came in. Which leaves Tyreese, Sasha, Bob, and Carol," Daryl told them. "I've got room for three," Eric said. "If Glenn has room in the back of his truck and doesn't mind us puttin' some of our stuff in there, I can take the last person," DJ added. Daryl had a sinking feeling in his gut. He knew Tyreese, Sasha, and Bob would want to be together since Tyreese and Sasha were siblings and Sasha and Bob had started seeing each other before they got here. That left Carol.

When the last of the camp was packed and ready, Daryl slid into the back of DJ's Prius behind Charlie. Charlie drove and Carol was behind DJ. DJ hooked up her iPod and played around with it for a few seconds. Some slow song started and Charlie protested. "I'm too tired. If you play this shit I'll fall asleep." DJ huffed. "Fine." She changed the song. Guitars started off low and steadily grew louder until a man screamed. "Better?" DJ asked. "Much," Charlie replied, bobbing his head with the music. Daryl glanced at DJ for just a second. She was smiling for the first time in the past couple of days. Her voice mixed in with the voice coming from the speakers. Daryl had never heard the song before, and it wasn't his usual style, but he didn't hate it.

For the next forty miles, none of them spoke much. They just looked out the windows as Charlie drove on with the caravan to a playlist of what DJ had explained to be "new rock" and DJ singing along. Apparently she didn't listen to the genre much as a whole but there were a few artists she really liked and this was a playlist of those bands. When a new song would come on, DJ and Charlie would compete to see who could name the song and band first. It was almost always a tie.

As a new song started, DJ was first to blurt out the song. "Evil Angel, Breaking Benjamin!" "Damn!" Charlie laughed. He shook his head as a victorious grin spread across DJ's face. "I always think of you when I hear this song," Charlie told her. "Really? 'Cause it's my favorite?" He shook his head. "No, 'cause o' that dumbass angel wing tattoo you got on your neck," he answered. She slapped his arm. "Fuck you, asshole. Like _you_   never got a stupid tattoo, Mr. Nautical-Stars-On-My-Calves?" Daryl couldn't see Charlie's reaction, but DJ smirked. "Shut up," he grumbled. DJ turned around. "Either o' y'all tattooed? Well, I know _you_   are," she said, nodding to Daryl. Daryl nodded, feeling his cheeks go warm as he remembered that she'd seen him naked. DJ looked at Carol, who shook her head. "My husband wouldn't let me," Carol explained quietly. "Oh," DJ said, turning back around.

Her reaction surprised Daryl. He saw her as someone who always spoke her mind and he was sure she'd cringe at the words 'my husband wouldn't _let_   me.' She looked at Daryl. "How many do _you_   have?" Daryl asked her. "Um..." she looked up with focused eyes. "Eleven," she finally answered. Daryl wondered if they were all tiny and well hidden, or if he had just been that blind. DJ's right arm was resting against the seat as she gripped the head rest. A thin, ornate arrow was inked down the side. How had he missed that before? DJ noticed him looking. "This is probably the one with the least amount of meaning," she told him.

He looked at her as she explained. "I just thought it was pretty. I guess I got it because arrows make me think of elves...or Katniss Everdeen..." She shrugged. "Legolas and Katniss are pretty badass with a bow and arrow." He could see ink peeking out from her wrist too. He really had no idea how he'd managed to miss that with as many times as she'd had to patch him up. The car slowed down and DJ turned her attention to the front. "This is it," she whispered. In front of the car a quiet town sprawled before them, abandoned save whatever walkers were there. Charlie put the car in park as an RV slowly approached the caravan.


	10. Brains AND Beauty

DJ saw her father get out of his RV to talk to the leader of the scouting party. "Who's that?" Daryl asked. "Wade Davis. Head of scouting missions." Daryl gave her a disbelieving look. "Seriously? That's a thing?" DJ grinned. "So stupid, right? My dad takes this shit so seriously," she replied. "It's only the zombie apocalypse," Charlie said flippantly. "Right?" DJ said with a grin. "Sarcasm, sis." "Yeah, I got that." Daryl half smiled. "Zombies," he chuckled. "Yeah, that's what they are. What do you call 'em?" Daryl looked at her. "Walkers." DJ looked thoughtful for a second. "I like that," she concluded.

DJ watched as her father nodded at Wade and turned to the RV he shared with his wife. A few minutes later everyone was getting out of their cars. When everyone was out her father called for volunteers to go in and clear certain buildings and grab what supplies were available. DJ volunteered without a thought. Her mother shot her a worried glance but DJ ignored it. Her dad wouldn't dare tell her no in front of everyone; it would show favoritism to his own children. Immediately after she volunteered so did Bobby, Eric, and Daryl. DJ turned to Charlie. He looked so tired. She shook her head at him as he opened his mouth. "Don't. You need to sleep." He rolled his eyes. "Please. There's plenty of other people who can go. It ain't worth you riskin' your life over." Charlie frowned and crossed his arms, but didn't protest.

Within minutes dozens of volunteers were grouping up. Under no circumstances was anybody to go in alone. Everyone had to have at least one person with them at all times. DJ grabbed the wrist of the closest person. She looked over to see Daryl looking wide-eyed down at his wrist. She moved her hand. "Sorry," she whispered. She felt eyes on the side of her face. Eric had noticed and was staring straight at her. He made his way over. "You should come with me and Bobby," he told her. "I'm fine," she replied, flustered. Eric turned his attention to Daryl. "No offense or anything. I'm sure you're good with that crossbow." Daryl didn't say anything. He stared at Eric with a seething look. "He is. I'll be fine," DJ said, bringing Eric's attention back to her. "Why do you insist on making things so difficult?" Eric sighed, looking tired. DJ shrugged. "I dunno. Why does everyone insist on actin' like I'm some delicate flower that always needs protection?"

Eric rolled his eyes. "Fine. Suit yourself." He turned to Daryl. "You better _hope_   you're good with that crossbow," he warned. DJ watched Daryl's face. His expression was hard, but revealed nothing. Eric walked back to Bobby, who clapped him on the back and laughed. Daryl turned to DJ. "You really do make things harder on yourself than they need to be," he snarled. DJ frowned. "You don't want me? Fine. I don't need you." She turned to leave but he grabbed her arm and turned her back around. "Don't be stupid, girl. Your pride's gonna get you killed," he admonished. DJ's cheeks flushed. "Come on," she said, nodding toward the caravan. "I gotta get my weapons and some duffel bags."

Eric, Bobby, and Wade were poring over a sheet of paper at the head of the crowd. Daryl helped DJ gather up the things that they would need and they headed back to the rest of the volunteers. When everyone was stocked with weapons, ammo, and bags to carry supplies in, Bobby stood up on the hood of his minivan. The crowd went silent. "Based on the map that Wade has drawn, we feel a change in plans is in order." The crowd started murmuring again. Bobby held up his hands. "We feel our best option is to split into three groups. I will lead a group into the gun shop. Wade will lead a group through the Wal Mart. And Eric will take a group to the pharmacy. The plan is simple. Go in, secure the building, fill your bags as full as you can and still be able to carry it, and we meet back up at stop sign across from the gas station."

The leaders chose their groups. It wasn't like middle school dodgeball, though. Generally whoever was closest went with them. Eric went through the crowd tapping people on the shoulder and pointing for them to stand with his group. He reached DJ in seconds. "You're a nurse so..." DJ rolled her eyes. "Subtle," she said, walking to where his group stood. DJ pretended not to watch where Daryl ended up. He was with Bobby. Most of the people from his original group were with Wade. Daryl, Rick, and Carl were with Bobby. Bob was a doctor, so he was with Eric's group. When everyone was assigned a group, they marched themselves into the town and split off. DJ watched Bobby's group go for a second. "Come on, let's go!" Eric called. She filed in behind the others.

As they entered the pharmacy, DJ gripped her machete tight. It wasn't a large place. There were three walkers roaming the aisles. Eric put down one with a dagger. DJ saw Bob get another with a knife. Emily Adams took down the third, looking horrified. DJ wondered why she'd even bothered to volunteer. Back at camp she usually washed clothes or helped with the kids and the cooking. The zombies terrified her. DJ was so lost in her thoughts she almost didn't notice the color drain from Emily's face as she looked back at DJ. She clamped a hand over her mouth and pointed.

DJ turned just in time. She lifted her machete and sliced it through the walker's skull. "You okay?" Eric asked, parting the crowd. She scowled at him. "I'm fine, keep goin'." They went through the aisles, filling their bags with anything they thought would be useful. Eric decided to split them up. He made his way to DJ. "Listen, I don't know how big it is in the back and I don't know how many zombies might be in there, but I think our best bet is to split up," he told her quietly. "Are you insane?" Eric looked around, making sure that no one was listening and checking to see if there was any danger.

"I think you and Bob should take a small group in back to grab the prescription stuff." She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "He's a doctor, you're a nurse. Y'all know what the stuff is, what's important. Take Jeanette and whoever else you think can help. I'll stay with the others and grab over the counter stuff and whatever's out here," he urged. "Bobby wouldn't split us up," she hissed. He frowned, his eyebrows low over his deep brown eyes. "Bobby ain't in charge o' this group, I am. Go. We'll be here to back you up." DJ nodded and sprang into action. She grabbed Bob, Jeanette, and the two CNAs - Tina and Julie, and led them to the back. There were three zombies total. DJ took out two herself. "Just take what you can fit in your bag," she told them. Setting her bag at her feet, she grabbed armfuls of pill bottles and let them fall into her bag. The others followed suit.

Between the five of them it didn't take long. They quickly scurried back to the store front to help clear out what was left. DJ was on autopilot. Without really paying attention she stood in front of a shelf that contained small, different colored boxes. She started grabbing them. Eric cleared his throat behind her. "You gonna stand there or you gonna help?" she snapped. "Why are you throwin' condoms and pregnancy tests in your bag like your life depends on it?" he questioned quietly. DJ looked at the box in her hand. _First Response Pregnancy Test._ Oh, hell. She almost laughed. "Well, they ain't for me, that's for sure." She tossed it in her bag. She hadn't had sex since this whole thing got started. She'd thought about it from time to time, but ultimately she wasn't attracted to anyone in the camp. Not that it mattered that much; she didn't have many options. But she knew if she slept with someone they might get the wrong idea about what it was. She'd seen it a lot lately. People hooking up in the camp and then becoming romantically involved just because they didn't see any other options. Apocalypse or no, DJ wouldn't settle for just anyone.

Eric moved beside her. He tossed some condoms into his own bag and glanced at DJ. "Don't even think about it," she whispered. He chuckled quietly and kept tossing boxes into his bag. When they left, the pharmacy was stripped almost completely bare. People were hoisting bags over their shoulders and jogging to the stop sign where Bobby's group already stood waiting. The leaders had walkies. Eric and Bobby exchanged a look. "I don't want to use it if I don't have to. I don't want to risk making noise and the group getting swarmed with more zombies than they can handle," Bobby said in hushed tones to Eric. Eric nodded his agreement. "We could leave the bags out here and go in after them," DJ suggested. Bobby and Eric turned to her, clearly just noticing how close she was.

"I don't know," Eric sighed. "Who's gonna take our shit? No one's fucking here. And if you're _that_   concerned about it, just leave enough people out here with the stuff to make a circle around it and take the rest of us in to find the others." Bobby grinned. "Ya know, you woulda done well in the military. You're smart, little sis." "I'm also a badass motherfucker. So we doin' this or what?" Eric still looked uneasy. "There could be a hundred walkers in there and only two dozen people to clear 'em out." Eric frowned. "Walkers?" DJ tried not to let the heat she felt in her stomach creep up to her cheeks. "Yeah, that's what Daryl calls 'em." Bobby guffawed at the look on Eric's face. Like he smelled something sour. Bobby slapped him on the back and grinned at DJ.

"I like the plan, let's get a group together." Out of the two dozen people in two combined groups, they left six with the loot. The rest followed Bobby and Eric into the Wal Mart, weapons ready. As they went through the check out lanes, DJ grabbed whatever bags she could find. Daryl gave her a weird look but grabbed a couple of bags himself. They shuffled forward silently. They could hear movement coming from somewhere further inside. "So do we split up, cover more ground?" Eric asked. Bobby paused. DJ rolled her eyes. "We stick together," she whispered. Bobby studied her for a moment, then nodded. Bobby led them toward the noise.

It didn't take them long to find the other group. They were in the camping and fishing section, all of them covered in blood and gore. Bobby nodded at Wade. The two took a few strides each and met in the middle of the aisle. "Is the building secure?" Bobby asked. Wade shook his head. "We've cleared this area and the kids section." Bobby nodded. "I can take my group to the pharmacy section." Wade nodded. DJ turned to tell the others and found her way blocked. Daryl stood behind her, listening to the plan. "Come on," he whispered. Together, with Bobby and Eric, they relayed the plan to the rest of the group.

The pharmacy area was crawling with walkers. The eighteen people they'd brought inside slashed and hacked and stabbed until the floor was littered with bodies. "Anyone bit?" Bobby asked, going around to each individual. DJ and Daryl insisted they were fine. Bobby decided that Bob and a couple of the nurses should go grab prescription meds from behind the counter. He and Eric would patrol the sides of the aisles while everyone else grabbed as much as they could. DJ took Daryl's hand and he followed without protest. She turned down the beauty aisle.

"What're we doin' down here?" Daryl asked her, looking around awkwardly at the make up. "We're getting beauty supplies. Most of the others wouldn't think to grab this stuff." "Yeah, 'cause it's not the time to be worryin' about your lipstick," he grumbled. DJ rolled her eyes. "Just because it's the zombie apocalypse does _not_   mean that us women don't want to look good," she told him, grabbing foundations in every shade and carefully putting them in the bag Daryl held open for her. He scoffed. "Thought you said you'd rather be smart than pretty." DJ grabbed more foundation. "True, but I happen to feel there's nothin' wrong with bein' both." She moved on to eyeliner. "You don't need this shit to look good," he muttered. She almost hadn't heard him. She felt her cheeks go red and decided to focus solely on grabbing as much eyeliner and mascara as she could get her hands on.

Once she had a bag full of make up for the women in the camp, she moved on to another, more essential feminine need. Daryl's face got red when she led him over to the pads and tampons. She set one of the mesh reusable bags down at her feet and started filling it with feminine products. She looked up when she realized Daryl wasn't moving. "They won't bite, ya know. Just start puttin' 'em in that big reusable bag." Daryl nodded awkwardly and did as she asked. DJ almost laughed. Who knew a guy as tough as Daryl could be afraid of tampons?


	11. Tampons, Trucks, & Tattoos

Daryl Dixon was definitely _not_ afraid of tampons. He was perfectly aware that women had periods, but that didn't mean he wanted to think about it. He had never in his life had a girlfriend serious enough to buy these things for, and even if he had he wasn't sure he'd have bought them. He glanced at DJ. She was smiling. He squared his shoulders and started grabbing whatever his hands came into contact with. "What's so funny?" Daryl asked, rolling his eyes. "You're scared of tampons," she giggled. "I am not. Just wasn't expectin' this." DJ shook her head, still grinning. "What exactly did you think all the females in the camp were gonna do about that time of the month?" Daryl's cheeks burned. "I don't think about that stuff." "But what about when you get married. It's inevitable you'll have to get this stuff."

Daryl paused, scanning her face. She didn't appear to be making fun of him. "What?" she asked. Daryl went back to his task. "What makes you think I'm gonna get married?" She shrugged. I've seen you and Carol around a bit. I thought maybe there was somethin' there," she told him. Daryl didn't answer. "None of my business," DJ said. Daryl didn't know why he felt the need to explain himself to her, but he spoke before he could second guess himself. "Used to be...sorta." DJ was quiet, but gave a small nod. "Didn't work out," he finished lamely. "Sorry," DJ told him. Daryl shrugged. "Probably not the best time to start thinkin' about relationships," he grunted. DJ smiled. "Is there ever really a right time?"

They finished up and headed back towards medicine. Eric glared at Daryl as they passed. "Can I ask you somethin'?" Daryl asked as they walked. "You just did," DJ replied. Daryl rolled his eyes. "Go ahead," DJ told him. "Does Eric know you're not interested?" DJ eyed him with a smirk. "Why do you want to know that?" Daryl shrugged. "I think he thinks there's somethin' goin' on with...us." The corners of DJ's eyes crinkled as she held back a laugh. "He knows I don't see him that way, but it doesn't seem to deter him. To be honest, I don't think he's actually interested in me either. It's just my parents want us to be together so much that now pretty much everyone in the camp thinks we're perfect for each other. I think he wants to live up to others' expectations, but it ain't gonna happen. Even if he is hot."

A strange feeling hit Daryl in the gut. "So you do like him?" DJ sighed. "I just said I didn't." "No, you said he's hot." DJ snorted. "Just because I find him attractive doesn't mean I'm attracted _to_ him," she retorted. What she was saying didn't make sense to him. Wasn't it the same thing? "That don't make sense," he argued. "Yes it does. He's easy on the eyes but his personality leaves a lot to be desired. It's like how I want to be smart _and_   pretty. I don't want a man who's good lookin' but bores me to tears. I want one I like too look at and that I have fun with." Daryl frowned but kept quiet as they reached the rest of the group.

Fifteen minutes later they were back out by the stop sign. Daryl looked around. They could use a couple more cars and he knew how to hotwire if need be. He leaned over to DJ. "We should look for another car," he told her. "Okay."  She set her bags down and sauntered over to her brother. Her tan legs seemed to glow in the sunlight. When she came back a few moments later, he pulled his eyes up to hers. She looked pleased with herself. "Bobby said if we're not back in half an hour, he's sending Eric to come look for us." She took his hand and led him off to the parking lot at the 7Eleven.

"So, what're we lookin' for exactly?" DJ asked. Daryl looked around. "Something that's as new as possible would be good, but we'll take what we can get. If the key is in it, great. If not, I can hotwire it." Daryl peeked at DJ from the corner of his eye. She looked impressed. "So were you some kind of master car thief before this?" she asked. He couldn't tell if she was joking or not. "Nope." She looked inside another car for a key. "Mechanic?" "Not officially," he answered. "Did you own an illegal chop shop?" Daryl sighed. "Why're you so interested in what I did, anyway?" DJ shrugged. "You know what I did," she countered. Daryl grunted, looking into a car. No key, but there was a pack of cigarettes. He pulled the door handle and found it was unlocked. He reached in for the cigarettes. There was over half a pack left and there was a lighter in the pack. He lit one and inhaled. DJ frowned at him from the other side.

"Those things'll kill ya, ya know," she scolded. He grinned at her. "Live a little." She rolled her eyes and moved on to the next vehicle. "So tell me," she said as they examined a small blue Nissan truck. "Tell you what?" Daryl asked. No key. He could probably get it running though. "What you did before the end of the world." Daryl frowned. "Nah, it's not important." Daryl didn't give her time to argue. "This is as good as any. We should get some people down here to siphon gas too." Unfortunately for Daryl, DJ was persistent. He sighed, trying to reign in his temper. He'd told Beth what he'd done, and she hadn't looked at him any different. Why should DJ be different?

He explained to her the same way he'd done with Beth. DJ's face was expressionless. "But just so you know, I ain't no criminal. My brother was in and outta jail most of his life, but I've never been to jail." DJ knit her eyebrows together. "I never said you _was_   a criminal...well, except when I guessed you were a car thief or owned a chop shop. But I was just jokin' about that." Daryl didn't respond. Instead, he took one last long drag of his cigarette and threw it on the ground, stomping on it. He came around to the front of the truck and popped  the hood. DJ narrowed her eyes at him. "What?" he asked. She ignored his question and went around to the smoldering cigarette. She picked it up.

Daryl shot her a questioning look. "Not only will these kill you, but they're terrible for the environment." Daryl looked at her disbelievingly. "Seriously? We're tryin' to survive the _apocalypse_ and you're pissed off 'cause I threw a cigarette on the ground?" DJ glared at him fiercely. "If there is one thing I hate, it's litter." Daryl didn't have time to argue. There were only fifteen minutes left until Bobby sent Eric after them and he wanted to get this done. He'd talk to her about it later. "Sorry," he told her flatly. DJ turned and walked toward the dumpster. Daryl ran to follow her. "Don't just run off like that! Are you crazy?" DJ rolled her eyes. "What? You think a walker's gonna jump out of the dumpster at me?" She wiggled her machete in front of him. "I'm fine." Daryl sighed, not wanting to start drama.

"Come on, you should know how to do this." She tossed the cigarette butt into the dumpster, closed it quietly, and followed Daryl to the truck. He went around to the front where the hood was popped. "Before I bother to hotwire it I'm gonna check the fluids. You know how to do that?" he asked her. She shook her head. He bit back a smile. "Well there's a surprise," he teased. "Why?" she asked. "'Cause you're one o' them girls 'at likes to think she can do anything a man does," he told her, unable to stop a smirk from spreading across his lips. She stuck her tongue out. "I _can_   do anything a man can do if someone teaches me to do it." "Well, I'm gonna teach you right now. Come in close." DJ pressed her body into his side. Daryl could feel her body heat and smell her hair as she tied it back. He spied the angel wing tattoo her brother had teased her for as well as a small snowflake behind her left ear.

"Now what?" she asked, bringing Daryl out of his thoughts. "This is where you put the oil. Now see this thing right here?" DJ nodded. He pulled the stick out and wiped it on his pants. "I'm gonna stick this back in, then take it out again and that'll tell me how much oil's in there," he told her. She watched him as he stuck the wand back in and pulled it out again. "Looks good." He quickly checked the rest of the fluids with DJ watching. "Now you're gonna hotwire it?" she asked him, her green eyes glittering with excitement. He nodded and gestured for her to follow him. He laid down in the floorboard. DJ climbed into the seat from the passenger side and laid down with her legs hanging out over the side. When Daryl looked up to tell her what he was going to do their faces were inches apart.

"So..." Daryl shook himself out of his stupor. "Right." He managed to expose the wires without thinking about how close DJ was. "Just watch me," he told her. "I am," she replied. He wasn't facing her, but he just knew she was grinning. His stomach felt weird again. What the hell was she doing to him anyway? Daryl worked quickly. The truck started with a shudder. Daryl smiled proudly. When he looked at DJ she actually laughed.

Daryl drove them back to the stop sign. Bobby and Eric were waiting, but they must have sent the others back to camp with Wade. Daryl stopped and DJ rolled her window down as the men approached. "Holy shit, you actually got a truck," Bobby said in disbelief. There was a sparkle in his eye. "Yeah, that's what I said we were gonna do," DJ retorted. He grinned at her. "I thought that was a euphemism for something else," he told her with a wink. DJ rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You're a dick," she hissed, but she was smiling. "Jump in back, we'll haul y'all's asses back to camp." Bobby and Eric picked up their bags and jumped in. Bobby banged on the top twice and Daryl hit the gas. DJ rolled her window back up, but left a crack. Daryl wanted to ask what her brother had meant, but was worried he and Eric would hear.

So he asked her about her tattoos instead. "Did that snowflake hurt?" he asked her. DJ's hand instinctively went to her ear. "Hm? Oh, no. Not too bad." Daryl nodded. "What's it mean?" A small smile played at the corners of DJ's lips and he wondered if he sounded stupid. "I love the cold," she told him. "That's it? You got a tattoo of a snowflake 'cause you like the cold?" He shook his head. Girls were such odd creatures.

DJ shrugged. "Did you know that no two snowflakes are exactly alike?" she asked quietly. He almost hadn't heard her over the wind from the cracked windows. She looked at him with this dreamy look on her face. "Isn't that beautiful? Every single snowflake is unique." He shrugged. "I think it's beautiful," she breathed, facing back to the front. Daryl peeked at her from the corner of his eyes and formed his mouth into a hard line to keep from smiling. "What does your tattoo mean?" DJ asked conversationally. Daryl frowned. He didn't talk about it much. His mind started remembering things he tried to forget. He must have been quiet too long. "Sorry," DJ said. Daryl looked at her for a second. She looked embarrassed. "Probably really personal." "'S okay," he grumbled.

They reached the camp then, sparing Daryl from making conversation. He parked the truck and got out. Eric had already hopped out of the back and was opening the door for DJ. Daryl wanted to laugh. He was sure DJ was less than pleased. Daryl helped grab the bags from the back and started toward the large pile of bags. He almost didn't notice that both medical tents were set up and personal family tents were sprung up inside the barrier of vehicles. DJ's dad must have decided they were staying the night.


	12. Survival Of The Fittest

DJ looked around in confusion. Her father had said they would be going on a large supply run and then they would keep moving. So why the hell were people setting up their tents and digging a fire pit? Eric was behind her, Bobby just behind him. "I think we should talk," Eric told her quietly. She eyed him suspiciously. "Why? What's going on?" Eric shuffled his feet uncomfortably. DJ looked at Bobby. "I'm gonna go find Rach and the boys," he said, taking off in the direction of his RV. Eric held out his hand. DJ walked past him towards his RV.

She sat down at the small table. Eric sat across from her. "What's going on? We were only supposed to stay long enough to grab supplies." Eric nodded. "That _was_   the plan. It changed." DJ waited impatiently for him to explain. "The council decided to give Ray a second chance." DJ's eyes widened. "What? But we left him." Eric bit his lip. "We decided to give him two days to make it back to us. He knows where we are and we gave him a compass, water, and food." DJ stared at him, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She narrowed her eyes at him. "That's sick," she whispered. Eric's temper flared. "Not as sick as what he would have done to you if...if Daryl hadn't..." DJ rolled her eyes.

"I think it's time you and I had a talk, Eric," she hissed. Eric's jaw clenched. "We've known each other for my entire life. You're my brother's best friend. For me, you're not even in the friendzone." His eyes darted  to hers quickly. "You're firmly planted in the family zone. Fuckin' you would feel like incest, Eric. I don't want to be a bitch, but you have to stop trying to live up to everyone else's expectations. You don't love me. You probably don't even have one single romantic thought of me. So please, stop." Eric frowned. "That ain't true," he said. DJ knit her eyebrows together in confusion. Eric shrugged. "Maybe it ain't love," he admitted, "but I do have feelin's for you." DJ looked at him sympathetically as she put her hands over his. "That's just the apocalypse talkin'. Ain't many girls left to look at," she told him gently.

Eric pulled his hands away and sat back. "Are you sayin' all this 'cause o' Daryl?" DJ scoffed. "Really, Eric?" He scowled. "What? You don't hide it very well," he told her. "Hide what?" DJ asked defensively. "I see the way you look at 'im." DJ rolled her eyes. "Oh, please," she hissed. "You didn't even look at Beau that way." DJ's nostrils flared. "You keep him out of this." Eric's cheeks turned pink. He changed tactics. "And what about how you always somehow end up talkin' or sittin' next to Daryl? And how come every time he gets a paper cut you're right there to put a band aid on it?" "It's not like I do it consciously. It just happens. It doesn't mean anything. I'm there when he gets hurt 'cause I'm a fucking nurse." Eric shook his head. "And every time someone says anything that could be remotely construed as mean about him, you jump to his defense." "He's a good person! He doesn't deserve people who don't even know him talkin' shit about him."

Anger rose up in DJ's chest. "So what? I can't be friends with a guy unless I want to fuck him?" "That's not what I'm sayin', DJ, and you know it," Eric spat. "Really? 'Cause it sure as hell sounds like that's what you're sayin'!" Eric rubbed a hand down his face. DJ tried to steady herself. Anger would do her no good. "I'm just sayin' it looks like there's somethin' goin' on between y'all. Everybody's seen it," Eric told her calmly. DJ frowned. "Maybe I look at him a little differently. But he _did_   keep Ray from rapin' me," she admitted quietly. Eric shook his head. "Nah, it ain't a new thing, DJ. You've been lookin' at him since the day he showed up at camp," he said softly. DJ sighed. "I'm curious about him. He's...new. A mystery. That's all it is," she told him. Eric drummed his fingers lightly on the table top. "Somehow, I don't think that's it."

Without another word, Eric walked out. DJ sat stewed for a moment. _I shouldn't think about it too much_ , she told herself. She stood and left the RV to get some fresh air. Her eyes scanned the camp and without her brain telling them to, immediately landed on Daryl. She frowned when she saw him talking to Carol with a cigarette hanging from his lips. His eyes met hers briefly before she looked away and walked in the opposite direction.

A few minutes later she was setting up her tent and trying to figure out how to fix the tears in the front. As she gently slipped her finger along one of the rips, she heard footsteps. Daryl sat down next to her. "Sorry 'bout that," he mumbled. "It's fine," she replied absentmindedly. "Did Eric tell you what's goin' on? No one around here seems to know." DJ brought her hand away from the torn fabric and looked Daryl in the eyes. "The council made a fucked up decision." She explained what Eric had told her. When she finished, Daryl looked madder than a bull seeing red. "After what he did to you...they're just gonna let him come back?"

DJ shrugged. She was kind of relieved that Ray could come back soon. "Nothin' happened," she told him quietly. She glanced at him to see his reaction. He was glaring at her. "You can't seriously tell me you forgive him," he growled. "I do forgive him. He let his feelings for me get the best of him and he made a mistake. You stopped him before anything major could happen," DJ said matter-of-factly. Daryl frowned at her. "Why do you feel so guilty? He should be the one who feels like shit." "No doubt he does." Daryl searched her face. "He didn't get dealt the best hand in life." Daryl scoffed. "That ain't your fault. You ain't responsible for 'im." DJ smiled sadly. "I know. But he's my friend." "He tried to rape you," Daryl countered. A thought occurred to DJ that hadn't crossed her mind before.

"Why do you care?" she asked. This seemed to take Daryl by surprise. He hesitated. "Why wouldn't I care?" DJ shrugged. "We hardly know each other, I'm not your sister, I'm not your girlfriend...hell, I don't even know whether we'd be considered friends...yet you pulled him off me and beat the ever-lovin' shit out of him. Why? There was no real reason to feel obligated to get involved." Daryl looked away. "A man should respect a woman. He should listen when she tells him no." DJ felt a warmth settle in her chest. Her hand was so close to Daryl's that they were touching. Slowly she slipped her pinky over his, interlocking them from the top. He glanced down at their hands. She looked straight ahead, hoping that if he looked at her she wouldn't seem overly interested. He didn't look at her, though. He casually moved his hand so that he could lace their fingers together.

She just didn't know what to think. Daryl was a complete mystery and she was dying to figure him out. Was Eric right? Did she have feelings for Daryl that she couldn't explain? She wasn't sure. All she knew was that his hand was rough and warm and their fingers blended together so perfectly. The warmth she felt in her chest spread over the rest of her body and she felt like she could stay this way for a hundred years. That was something she'd never experienced before.

Daryl unhooked his hand from hers and stood up. DJ frowned. She looked up at him. "I'm gonna go see if they got another tent for you an' Charlie," he muttered. DJ watched him go. When he was out of sight she turned back to her torn tent. She picked at the grass for a few minutes, staring straight ahead with a blank expression. She was so out of it she didn't hear Daryl return. She jumped when he lightly touched her shoulder. "Sorry," he said, grinning. "Here." He handed her the box. She waited for him to offer help, but he never did, so she asked him. "Wanna stay and help me set it up?" she asked. "Okay." He took down the old ten in seconds while DJ opened the new one. It was smaller than the old one, but it didn't matter. She and Charlie were almost never in there at the same time for more than a couple hours.

"You never told me your last name," DJ said conversationally, handing Daryl a stake. "Dixon," he told her, pounding the stake into the ground. When he finished that stake, he went around to the next one. "It's your turn," she prompted. "For what?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the ground. "You get to ask me a question," she answered. He gave her a questioning look. She smiled. "It's how people get to know each other," she explained sarcastically. A laugh escaped his half curled lips in a huff. "Okay," he said, "you were married?" DJ frowned. "Gettin' right down to the good stuff, huh? Yeah, I was married," she told him. He looked at her, clearly waiting for her to elaborate. So, she did, for the sake of getting to know Daryl.

"Beau and I started datin' in eighth grade. We'd been friends since Kindergarten. In sixth grade I realized I had a crush on him, but he was with another girl. Seems stupid, I know. Middle school romance. But anyway. We dated all through high school, never broke up. Not really. We'd fight and I'd tell him to go to hell and the next day we'd forget about it. He asked me to marry him on the last day of our Junior year." She paused. She hadn't thought about this in a long time. It made her heart ache with guilt all over again.

"He was on the football team and I was on the cheer squad. We had a huge pep rally the last day of school every year. The football team came runnin' into the gym like a pack o' wild animals. Everybody cheered. The cheerleaders were lined up on three sides where the seats are. Beau ran up behind me, pulled me out to the middle of the gym. It got dead silent. One o' the runnin' backs brought Beau a microphone." She shook her head with a grin. She'd always hated the way he proposed. "He got down on one knee, handed me this little diamond ring, and asked me to marry him. You could cut the tension with a knife. My face was beet red and I was cryin'. I slipped the ring on and told him I'd marry him."

She looked up awkwardly at Daryl. He probably hadn't wanted that much detail, still, she was on a roll now. It almost felt nice, getting it all out. "We were actually plannin' our weddin' the whole summer. Our mamas were goin' absolutely crazy, fussin' over it. We finally got 'em to calm down when school started back. I had made it perfectly clear that just 'cause I was gettin' hitched didn't mean I wasn't goin' to college, at least community college. I was gonna do somethin' with my life, not just be somebody's trophy wife..."

The next part was always the hardest, but Daryl was entranced. He watched her with a strange look. She kept going. "I got pregnant our senior year," she muttered. Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat. "I thought my life was over. I was scared shitless. I was terrified to tell Beau, let alone my parents." She shrugged. "Didn't matter. I had a miscarriage. I never told Beau and we went right on with our plans. We got married the day after graduation. By then I had put the thought of my miscarriage at the back of my mind. It was over and I was about to start the next adventure in my life. I always loved adventures." She picked at the hem of her shorts.

"So what happened?" Daryl asked quietly. DJ bit her lip. "We'd been married about a year. Beau told me he wanted a baby and I freaked out. We had a huge fight and he walked out. He came home drunk later that night and told me he signed up. We didn't hardly do nothin' but fight all the way up til he went to bootcamp. I was almost relieved when he left. I thought maybe, with some time apart, we could be in love again." She shook her head. "But I hadn't _really_   been in love with Beau for a long time. When he was deployed, we hardly talked. When he came home, he was different. I was different. We tried to stick it out. We'd made a commitment to each other and both of us was too stubborn to break our vows. After six years of marriage I finally decided I didn't wanna live like that anymore. I couldn't stay when it made me so miserable."

DJ looked at Daryl, trying not to cry. She wished he would say something. "Your turn," he grumbled. She laughed out loud, wiping a tear from her eye. "Were you ever married?" she asked. He shook his head. "Ain't the marryin' type," he answered. She raised her eyebrows. "So you never wanna get married?" she asked. Daryl shrugged. "Never thought about it," he told her. She nodded. "Your turn." Daryl busied himself with the last stake. "What's the angel wing tattoo mean?" he asked. DJ shrugged. "I was eighteen and wanted to annoy my parents. Got it over Christmas break that year, right after my birthday. It was a birthday/Christmas present to myself. My mama almost had a heart attack. She just kept askin' how I was gonna cover it up for the weddin'," she laughed.

"Okay, my turn..." She thought for a second. She didn't want to ask anything too personal, at least not yet. She wanted to keep him talking about himself. "What's your favorite color?" she asked him. He shook his head, laughing. "Really?" "Yeah, come on, I wanna know." He sighed. "Green," he said. DJ raised her eyebrows at him. "What? Somethin' wrong with green?" he asked. "Not at all. I just had you pegged as a red man," she replied. Daryl shrugged. "Red's okay," he said. DJ bit her lip to keep from smiling. "Your turn."


	13. First Watch

Daryl thought for moment. He didn't want to cross another line; he felt bad for asking about her husband. He wasn't even sure why he'd wanted to know so badly. Finally he realized she was waiting. "What's _your_   favorite color?" he asked, smirking. "Cop out! It's brown," she answered. He gave her a puzzled look. "Bullshit. No one's favorite color is brown," he said. "Mine is. It goes with pretty much everything. My other favorite is turquoise. What's your favorite movie?" Daryl had to think about that. He didn't watch a lot of movies or TV. He spent most of his time hunting. He remembered being at an acquaintance's house one time while Merle was in jail. They'd gotten wasted and watched this movie where everyone was beating the shit out of each other. He couldn't remember the name, so he described it to her.

DJ smiled playfully. "You mean Fight Club?" she asked. He nodded. "Good choice. I love that movie. Your turn." He didn't want to ask her the same question again, so he took a minute to think. "Did you always wanna be a nurse?" he asked. She shook her head. "Nope, but I figured if I worked in an ER it could be exciting." "What did you really wanna do?" he asked. She smiled sadly. "Sing," she answered. "You coulda made it," he told her. "I chose Beau." Daryl frowned. "What's that mean?" "I thought I could get him to follow me to Nashville but he never wanted to. Didn't wanna leave his mama and his sister." Daryl could respect a man who put his family first, but he couldn't help but think if he'd been married to DJ, he would have gone anywhere with her. The thought made him feel awkward.

"Well, you're all set. I'll leave you alone now. Let you get some rest." DJ smiled at him, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Thanks for the help," she said. He nodded. As he was walking back to the ring of vehicles to grab his stuff from Glenn's truck, he passed Rick. "Hey." Daryl stopped. Rick was grinning at him. "She's awful pretty," he said with a nod in DJ's direction. Daryl shuffled his feet. "So?" Rick shrugged. "Y'all seem to be gettin' pretty cozy." Daryl scratched the back of his head absentmindedly. "Just...friends," he told him. "I'm not tryin' to pry. Just...you can talk to me. If you need to." Daryl nodded. "Thanks, man." Rick clapped him on the shoulder and left Daryl to think.

He didn't know where to set up the tent he'd share with Bob and Tyreese. He knew where he _wanted_   to set it up, but he wasn't so sure he should. He looked around. He was definitely _not_   setting up near Maggie and Glenn. Despite the fact that Tyreese had forgiven her, he didn't want to set up near Carol either. Tyreese met him at the truck. "I was just about to come get that," he said, nodding to the tent. Daryl handed it over. "You alright?" Tyreese asked. Daryl rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I'm good." Tyreese nodded. He lifted the tent and left Daryl by the truck. Daryl quickly followed Tyreese. Together they set up the tent near Sasha, Carol, and Beth. Daryl didn't say anything. He figured Tyreese wanted to keep an eye on his sister. When they were finished, Daryl crawled inside for a nap while Tyreese went and volunteered himself for guard duty.

Daryl woke up to someone roughly shaking him. He jolted from his sleep, sweating and forgetting briefly where he was. He'd been dreaming, but about what he couldn't remember. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw DJ smiling down at him. "Sorry," she told him quietly. "'S okay." "I saved you some dinner. They're about to change guards. I'm on duty," she told him, handing him a plate with a grin. "I'll help," he said, taking the plate. "And thanks." "No problem." Her hand was still on his shoulder but he didn't mind. She sat down beside him without asking. She slid her hand from his shoulder and rested both hands on her knees.

"I talked to Carol," DJ sighed absentmindedly. Daryl paused, then shoveled a forkful of corn into his mouth. "It's clear she really likes you," DJ continued. Daryl coughed. DJ slapped him hard on the back. It took a minute or two, but he finally stopped coughing. "I'm sorry. Was that news to you?" DJ asked him when he'd caught his breath. Daryl shrugged. "Just thought she'd be over it by now," he said gruffly. "You're probably not that easy to get over," she murmured. Daryl glanced up at her with a quizzical look. Then there was shuffling outside the tent and DJ got on all fours. "See ya out there," she told him before crawling out of the tent.

Daryl quickly shook himself out of his stupor. Her ass was mesmerizing. He shoveled the rest of his dinner into his mouth at record speeds. When he was done, he grabbed his crossbow and took his plate back out as he left for the outskirts of the woods. Beth spotted him and took the plate. "Thanks," he grunted. Rick met him just outside the ring of vehicles. "We're supposed to pair up," he told Daryl. They started walking the perimeter of the camp in silence. Daryl spotted DJ walking slowly with Eric. She was holding a shotgun in her arms, a pistol was nestled in a holster at her hip. When he tore his eyes away, annoyed by the sight of her with the taller man, he noticed Rick smirking.

"What's that look for?" Daryl asked moodily. "Nothin'," Rick lied. Daryl knew he was lying, but he also had a hunch what Rick was smirking about and he didn't really want to talk about it. He quickly changed the subject. "Carl watchin' Lil Ass Kicker?" he asked. Rick nodded. "Yeah." "He's a good brother," Daryl muttered. "He is," Rick agreed. Thinking of Merle still sent a pang through Daryl's chest. Merle was far from perfect, or even nice, but he'd been the only family left to Daryl and in the end, he went out trying to make amends. Daryl found himself wondering what torture Merle would have given him about DJ.

He frowned. _Stop thinkin' about her, numb nuts_ , he scolded himself. But it was easier said than done. She and Eric walked right past Daryl, her eyes meeting his briefly. She smiled at him and he scowled back. The scowling was unintentional, but he wasn't sure how to react to her. It had been different with Carol. They flirted shamelessly, but never went any further. Daryl had often wondered if they ever would go further, and he guessed if things had gone differently they might've. With DJ he was never sure about anything. When she smiled at him was it friendly or more? When she touched him, did she get butterflies? When she looked at him, did her eyes rake over his whole body or did he imagine that? He had no idea what she felt, let alone what _he_   was feeling. That weird feeling in his stomach like someone had punched him could be lust...it could also be indigestion. The feeling of all the air being sucked from his lungs whenever she looked him dead in the eye was a little harder to explain away.

DJ and Eric had made their way back around into Daryl's line of sight. He could hear Eric's low, rumbling voice though he couldn't make out the words. DJ faked a laugh at something he said, at least Daryl found himself hoping it was fake. He wanted to punch himself in the face. Why the hell should he care if she laughed at something Eric said? It didn't mean anything and she wasn't his girlfriend. He needed to distract himself. "You think this Colorado thing's gonna work out?" he asked. Rick shrugged. "It's the only hope we got." Daryl knew that was true, still he couldn't help but be skeptical. Every single place they'd tried had been compromised and Colorado was a long way away. He didn't want to admit it, but he was scared. He'd never been out of Georgia. What the hell was he going to do in Colorado?

When the sun came up over the trees, their shift was over. Daryl walked slowly, taking his time. Rick had gotten ahead of him easily, eager to get back to his kids. DJ and Eric were just behind him. This time, he could hear every word. "Don't worry about it. Me and your brothers will talk to your dad. If he ain't showed up by tonight, we'll convince your daddy to let us search." DJ sighed loudly. "If y'all end up havin' to look, I wanna go," she told him. Eric didn't respond right away. "I'll see what I can do," was his reply. "You go ahead," DJ told him after a pause. "I think I'm gonna walk around a bit." Daryl figured he must have given her some kind of look suggesting he didn't like the idea. "I'll be fine. I'll stay inside the perimeter," she promised. A few seconds later Eric lumbered past Daryl without acknowledging him.

A breeze blew by, sending a rush of honeysuckle scented air past Daryl. He felt something lightly graze his hand and somehow, without looking, knew it was DJ. She looked straight ahead as she spoke. "Enjoy your first watch?" she asked, visibly fighting to keep the corners of her mouth from creeping up into a smile. Daryl shrugged. "'S quiet." She nodded, her hand lightly bumping into his again. He contemplated grabbing it and lacing his fingers with hers. "Who were you talkin' about a minute ago with Eric?" Daryl asked, trying to keep his voice casual. If DJ noticed the strain in his voice, she didn't let on. "Ray," she answered. Daryl felt anger bubbling under the surface of his cool expression, but he reminded himself that at the very least he'd gotten to beat the shit out of the creep.

"You still feel guilty," he observed. Their hands bumped again and DJ slipped her pinky around Daryl's. There it was again...the air was gone from his lungs. He scowled. "It's complicated," she sighed. He chanced a look from the corner of his eye. She was glancing up at him. They weren't walking anymore but Daryl didn't remember stopping. Her body was facing his, close. Another breeze rolled by, stronger this time. It whipped DJ's waves of golden hair around her head. Daryl tried not to notice. "Ray and I go way back, ya know? Friends from elementary school. His ol' man was an alcoholic...killed himself when Ray was just nine years old." Her voice was soft and her eyes were far away. Daryl wanted her there with him, so he spoke. "That ain't your fault," he told her.

DJ looked back at Daryl with a sad smile. "I know, but things never really got better from there. Ray and Beau had been best friends as long as anyone could remember. Beau was the leader and Ray followed him around like a puppy. Ray's actually really sweet, just real shy. Never had that much luck with girls and he was in love with me anyway. But Beau always got what Ray wanted. A shiny red Corvette. A football scholarship. Me. So I feel bad for 'im. What's wrong with that?" Daryl frowned and shrugged. "I thought you said your husband joined the military," he said, unsure why he even bothered to bring it up. "He did. Stupid. Had a full ride to State. Gave it up to stay in our hometown with me and his mom and sister. I told him to go. His mama told him to go. But Beau never would listen to nobody. He was stubborn like that," she said wistfully.

Daryl felt strange whenever they talked about Beau. He thought he might know what the right word to describe what the feeling was, but it wasn't something he was ready to admit to. So he changed the subject. "You look tired," he told her bluntly. And it was true. There were circles under her eyes and her eyes were dull rather than their usual vibrant shade of green. She frowned. "Such a gentleman." She rolled her eyes. "Keep talkin' like that, Dixon, and you'll charm the panties right off my ass." Heat crawled up Daryl's neck and settled in his cheeks. She didn't notice. Before Daryl could apologize DJ was gone, stomping back to her tent.


	14. Mother Knows Best

Tears pricked at DJ's eyes and threatened to fall. She knew she was being stupid, that Daryl's comment was most likely not meant to be rude. She knew it shouldn't bother her, but it did. That fact could only mean one thing. She was almost to her tent, but veered off in the direction of her parents' RV. She knocked on the door. "Mama? Dad?" Seconds later the door opened and her mother looked down at her with concern. "What is it? What's wrong?" DJ huffed. "Nothin'. I need to get somethin'," she told her. Her mother made room and DJ stepped up inside the RV. "Are you alright?" DJ ignored the question and headed straight for what she needed. Midol and a box of tampons. She shook two pills from the bottle. Her mother handed her a bottle of water. DJ swallowed the pills together and then locked herself in the cramped bathroom.

She had known this was coming. She'd always been really good about keeping up with it, and anyway it wasn't like she could ever ignore the signs. When it was her time of the month she only had two emotions: sobbing for no reason, or rip your head off for no reason. There was no in between. She pulled her underwear down and sighed. At least she had worn a panty liner just in case. She couldn't imagine how mortifying it would have been to be talking to Daryl with blood everywhere.

She finished in the bathroom and hurried out. Her mom was waiting with her water. DJ got an uneasy feeling, like her mom was going to try and have a serious talk. Her mom smiled at her and motioned for her to sit. Her instincts were right. "I know it might not be the best time, but I'd like to talk to you...about Eric." DJ groaned. Her stomach was cramping like a bitch, she had the beginnings of a headache, her vagina was bleeding, and her mom wanted to talk about Eric _now_? "What?" she huffed. She wasn't in the mood. Her mother scolded her with just her eyes. "Sorry. What?" she asked a little more politely.

Her mother scooted the water closer to DJ and stared down at her hands. DJ knew she was trying to think of the best way to word what she wanted to say. Finally she looked back up and searched DJ's face momentarily. "I'd like to make one last appeal," she announced. DJ refrained from rolling her eyes with a Herculean effort. What more could her mother possibly have to say? "After this I won't bother you with it anymore." DJ had trouble believing that, but nodded. "I know you think what your father and I are doing is borderline arranged marriage, and you're right. It seems crazy, and maybe it is, but we truly want what's best for you. You're our little girl, our _only_   little girl. I know you think we push this on you strictly for re-population, but that's not it." This was news to DJ. "Look around, there's plenty of couples in our group. There will be more when we get to Colorado, I'm sure." DJ bit her lip. "So why'd you pitch the idea as re-population in the first place?" Her mother smiled sheepishly. "Your father thought he could appeal to you with logic."

Deep down DJ had always suspected it was her father's idea. "You don't agree?" Her mother shook her head. "I knew it would never work. It's not that you're not a perfectly intelligent, reasonable girl because you are. But you're a wildflower." Her mother reached across the table to put her hands over DJ's. "That's really poetic, mama." Her mother smiled. "It's the truth." DJ waited. Finally she had to know. "So, what's your last appeal?" she asked. "Don't do it." DJ's eyes widened. Had she heard that correctly? "What?" she whispered. Her mother squeezed her hands. "A zombie apocalypse is no reason to settle. I'd watch you be a spinster with fifteen cats before I'll see you in marriage you're not happy in again." DJ had never heard her mother talk like this before. She was impressed and scared at the same time.

"Mama...I....I've never heard you talk this way. What happened?" Her mother just smiled and shook her head. "I saw how unhappy you were with Beau. Truth be told I saw it before you married him. I should've stopped it, but I was hoping maybe he'd be able to tame you. I was selfish. I knew if you didn't marry him you'd leave me for real. You'd take your savings and you'd fly off to Europe or somethin'. It was selfish of me to want to keep you with me when I should have let you fly." It wasn't until her mother reached over to wipe away a tear that DJ knew she was crying. _Stupid uterus_ , she thought.

"I woulda come back, mama. I'll always come back." Her mother nodded with a smile, wiping a tear from her own eye. "I know, baby." DJ brought her mother's hand to her lips and kissed it. "So what made you change your mind?" she asked quietly. "I see the way you look at that Daryl boy," she said. DJ almost laughed. Daryl Dixon was _not_   a boy, he was a full grown man. "Why does everyone keep sayin' that?" DJ sighed. Her mother smiled knowingly. DJ decided to change the subject.

"Eric told me about the council's decision for Ray's punishment," she said pointedly. Her mother frowned. "You know I'm not allowed to disclose details about each council member's vote, but I can assure you, I was thoroughly against that plan," she told her. "Because it was just as sick as what he tried to do or because you didn't think he deserves a second chance?" DJ asked. "Both," her mother admitted. "Who's idea was that anyway?" DJ asked, fearing she knew the answer. Her mother pursed her lips. "I'm not at liberty..." "Mama, it's just me. And if you don't tell me, I'll bet I can get Bobby or Eric to." Her mother gave her a calculating look. "Fine. It was your father's idea." DJ figured as much so it didn't really shock her. What shocked her was her mother's defiance. She gaped at her in awe.

"What?" her mother asked. "That's twice you've disagreed with dad in like, two days. I'm shocked." Her mother rolled her eyes. "Oh, Diana, really," she murmured. "Like, in all of my nearly thirty years on this earth, I have never once seen you disagree with dad." Her mother sighed. "It happens on occasion." DJ grinned. "Well, you're awfully good at hiding it." Her mom shrugged. "We always agreed that certain things should be kept away from the children. Disagreements were one of those things." DJ wasn't sure what to say. She made a noncommittal noise in her throat. "You should sleep," her mother broke in. "You've had a long night." DJ stood. "See ya later." Her mother frowned. "You should sleep in here. I know that tent can't be comfortable and there's plenty of room." DJ decided not to protest. One nap on a semi-comfy RV bed wouldn't hurt.

She dreamed of Beau. This in itself was not unusual. He'd haunted her dreams for a long while. What was unusual was that Daryl was there too. And Ray. Daryl stood between her and the other men, one arm thrown out protectively. She was slowly backing away. Daryl held her machete in his other hand, his crossbow strapped to his back. DJ slapped both hands over her mouth to keep from screaming. Tears were streaming down her face and she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Daryl was waving the machete around, as if he were trying to scare them off. They stepped closer and DJ finally saw their faces. They'd turned.

She woke up several hours later in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. She was alone in the RV and it was sweltering. She stood up and went to the bathroom. Limp waves of her hair were sticking to her neck. She splashed some cold water on her face, used the toilet, and walked out into the camp. Her eyes swept over the scene. During her time asleep someone had set up the long canopy where she and Julie usually watched the little kids. Julie was there, reading to a few of the kids. Beth was playing with some of the others. And there was Daryl. He was feeding Rick's little girl a bottle and keeping an eye on the other kids. She watched him for a moment. Her stomach felt weird. She told herself she was probably just hungry.

"Why don't you just go talk to him?" DJ jumped. When she looked over her mother was studying her. "It's not like that," she grumbled. The corners of her mother's lips tugged up into a smile. "Sure." DJ rolled her eyes. "It's _not_. Everyone thinks it is but it's really just not." Her mother squeezed her shoulder gently. "You're not the only one with _the look_ , Diana Joy," she told her. DJ stared up at her mom in surprise. Her mom grinned and nodded slightly in Daryl's direction. DJ looked over. Daryl was looking at her. She didn't  really see what her mom was talking about but when she turned to ask, her mother was gone.


	15. Feelings & Favors

Daryl looked up from feeding Judith and saw DJ talking to her mom a few yards away. When DJ noticed him looking he held her gaze but when she turned to say something to her mom he focused his attention back on Lil Ass Kicker. "Bet you can't wait to eat real food, huh?" Daryl cooed. Dragging the spoon over her chin to scoop up what she'd spit out. He glanced over at Beth who was crawling in toddlers with a blissful look on her face. He really worried about her sometimes. Judith gurgled impatiently. Daryl dipped the spoon back into the jar of peaches. "If you give her fruit first, she'll never eat her veggies." Daryl looked around in surprise. DJ was grinning down at him.

She sat down in front of him. "What're you doin' over here?" he asked, feeling stupid. "Me and Julie usually handle the kids. Been considerin' gettin' another helper, though. People keep poppin' out babies." Daryl looked around. He could believe it. The girl who must have been Julie was reading to three kids that looked between the ages of two and four. Beth had four toddlers ages one to three crawling over her. There was a bassinet over to one side with the newest baby, and Daryl was holding Judith. "We got nine now including this little cutie," she told him, pretend pinching Judith's cheek. "And one on the way."

Daryl spooned some more peaches into Judith's mouth. "Who's pregnant?" he asked casually. DJ glanced over to the corner where the young CNA was reading. "Jules. She should start showing pretty soon." Daryl nodded, cleaning off Judith's chin. "You think Beth would be up for it? She seems to really like them." Daryl glanced over to Beth again. "Oh, no doubt she'd love it," he told her a little more gruffly than he meant to. DJ noticed. "You have a problem with it," she said, sounding interested. "She's got, like, baby fever or somethin'. She's only a kid herself," he explained. "Well, maybe some time with nine kids under the age of five will change her mind," DJ told him with a half smile. "You don't believe that," he observed. "Some days it's amazing. Some days, not so much."

Daryl finished feeding Judith and started to gently put her on his shoulder to burp her. "Hold up," DJ told him. She crawled over to a box in the corner behind her, pulled out a cloth, and crawled back. "Here, in case she hurls." "Thanks." Daryl put the cloth over his shoulder and then lifted Judith. He alternated rubbing soothing circles on her back and gentle pats. "You have nieces and nephews before the apocalypse?" DJ asked. "No, why?" Daryl wondered aloud. DJ shrugged. "You're awfully good at that. You told me you didn't have kids so I figured maybe you were an uncle." Daryl frowned. "Probably was and never knew," he said dryly. DJ shot him a puzzled look but didn't push it. "Merle wasn't the type to step up and take responsibility if he knocked a girl up." Judith let out a monster burp. Daryl looked at her in surprise. She smiled at him with drool running down her chin. "Good God, girl," he laughed. He wiped her chin gently.

Julie had finished reading now and a tiny little boy came careening straight for DJ. She held her arms out for him. "DJ!" he garbled excitedly. "Hey, buddy." Her eyes were lit up like a Christmas tree and he'd never seen her smile so big. The boy was small, maybe a year or two old, with bright red hair and round blue eyes. "Good story?" she asked. He nodded with a huge grin. "Hey, Jackson, this is my friend Daryl." The boy's attention immediately fell on Daryl. "'Sup, little man?" Jackson smiled. "Hi!" Even Daryl had to admit he was pretty damn cute. Jackson took a tentative step forward. He peeked over at DJ who smiled encouragingly. Daryl wasn't sure what was going on, but he sat still, not wanting to scare the kid.

Jackson quietly bent over to get a better look at Judith. "Baby," he whispered. "Her name's Judith," DJ told him. He tried a couple times but his mouth just couldn't form the name. Daryl suppressed a smile. Jackson got in real close. Judith gurgled at him and lifted her little hand. She put it on top of his head. Jackson gave Judith's cheek a little kiss and stepped back. Daryl glanced at DJ. The smile on her face made his stomach feel weird. "Very sweet, Jackson," she told him softly. He toddled back over and plopped himself down in her lap. He sighed as though spending his days getting read to and playing with a bunch of other kids was the hardest job in the world.

"Itsy spider?" he asked. DJ smiled. "Okay, but then it's nap time, kiddo." Jackson nodded, stifling a yawn. DJ made the gestures as she sang the song. Jackson followed along. "The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout...down came the rain and washed the spider out...Out came the sun and dried up all the rain and the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again..." Jackson yawned. "Why does he go up the spout?" "Because spiders like dark places and it's dark up there. Now, let's go. Nap time." He didn't fight as DJ carried him over to where Beth and Julie had rolled out a couple of sleeping bags. DJ laid Jackson down and he closed his eyes immediately. Daryl looked down and noticed Judith had fallen asleep too.

DJ rejoined him a few seconds later. "She really likes you," she said, nodding to the sleeping baby in his arms. He half smiled. "Yeah," he said, his heart swelling with pride. Judith was the closest thing he'd ever have to a niece. Just like Rick was the closest thing Daryl had to a brother now. He decided not to dwell on that. "Jackson really seems to like you," he said, looking up to see her face. She smiled lovingly. "He's my favorite. The other kids are great for the most part, but Jackson is just...different. He is literally a tiny ball of love." Daryl nodded. He'd noticed it too when the tiny ginger had kissed Judith's cheek. "He's got a gentle soul."

Daryl felt awkward. He hadn't felt this way in a long time. Well, he'd never felt like the breath had disappeared from his lungs before. Not just from touching a girl. That was an experience he'd only had after being punched in the gut by his old man. He had no idea what to say. It was frustrating. "What're you scowlin' for?" she asked, bringing him from his thoughts. "Nothin'," he replied, shaking himself out of it. "You do it a lot, I've noticed. You always look vaguely pissed off." He wasn't sure what to say to that. He kind of _was_   always vaguely pissed off. It just came with being a man, particularly a Dixon man.

"You'll give yourself wrinkles," she told him, tapping his knee gently with her foot. "So?" he asked. "Wouldn't wanna mess up that pretty face," she said, grinning. He took it as though she were making fun of him and was about to say so when a thought struck him. Maybe she was still a little mad about his comment that morning. "Never got to say sorry this mornin'," he grumbled awkwardly. DJ looked confused for a moment, then seemed to understand. "Oh...that..." She shrugged. "I didn't mean nothin' by it. You look fine...good..." He was rambling and it pissed him off. She smiled gently. "It's all good. You didn't do anything wrong." He nodded, deciding to be grateful that she wasn't mad.

They sat there, just talking, while the kids slept. It was actually really nice when Daryl didn't over think. DJ led the conversation, Daryl mostly only had to chime in occasionally. They'd been there for what felt like only a few minutes, though Daryl knew it had to have been a couple hours at least. He smelled something cooking. "How long do they usually sleep?" Daryl asked, gesturing to the kids. "Crap. We shoulda woke 'em up a while ago. Where did Julie and Beth go?" DJ groaned in frustration. She went around to the kids, gently waking them. Daryl followed suit a moment later, still carrying Judith.

Minutes later parents were coming to take their kids. When the last one was gone, Daryl and DJ walked over to the fire pit. Beth spotted them and jogged over, taking Judith from Daryl's arms. DJ lightly touched his shoulder. "I gotta go talk to Eric. See you at dinner." Without another word she was gone. Daryl frowned and turned his attention to Beth. "Where'd y'all go earlier?" he asked her. Beth grinned. "Well, the kids were sleeping so Julie and I decided to give you and DJ some space." Daryl felt a weird squirming in his stomach as heat rose up to his neck and face. "Did y'all have a nice chat?" she prompted. He scowled. "Stop tryin' to play matchmaker, kid," he grumbled testily. Beth tried to suppress a smile but failed. Daryl decided to change the subject. "What's for dinner?"

Less than an hour later, the camp was gathered around the fire. People were roasting hotdogs and marshmallows. Daryl's eyes wandered over the crowd of faces. He wondered just how many people they had. Dozens, he knew, maybe even a hundred. His eyes stopped on a pair of long, tan legs. He lifted them slowly. DJ stood with a hand on her hip, talking to Eric. Daryl dropped his gaze. The hotdog he'd been roasting was black. He took it from the fire and frowned at it. "It ain't the hotdog's fault," someone said beside him. Daryl looked over to see Rick holding back a laugh. Daryl grunted and took a bite. "Shit!" he hissed. Too hot. Rick didn't hold back. His laugh annoyed Daryl at first, but quickly sucked him in. He laughed, despite the searing pain in his tongue.

They caught their breath a moment later. Rick looked over to where DJ stood with Eric. "You gonna tell me what's goin' on with y'all or what?" Daryl didn't answer right away. He wasn't even sure what was going on. He shrugged. "Seems pretty obvious y'all like each other," Rick told him. Daryl glanced around. No one seemed to be paying attention. Everyone was having their own conversations. So Daryl gave in. "I don't know," he said. "Whether you like her, or what's goin' on?" "Any of it," Daryl answered. Rick nodded. "You feel different around her?" he asked. Daryl nodded, staring into the fire. "You pissed off she's over there with Eric right now?" Daryl rolled his eyes. "Come on, man..." Rick grinned. "I'm just tryin' to help." Daryl didn't respond. Rick changed tactics.

"Now, I ain't a jealous man, but when Lori and I got together..." He whistled a low note. "She was different for me. She was special. I had never been like that with other girls. Before Lori, if my girlfriend was talkin' to some other guy I'd just walk right up and put my arm around her and that would be that. The guy got the hint and my girl was happy to see me. I never said nothin' about it." Daryl was surprised to hear Rick talk about Lori. He hadn't talked about her since she'd died. "When Lori talked to other guys it was like my head was on fire. I saw red. She told me all the time that she didn't want nobody but me. Eventually I realized those feelings were there 'cause I was scared of losin' her. I was worried she'd find somebody she liked better and I'd lose the only woman I'd ever loved." They sat listening to the fire crackle for a short moment. "So what'd you do?" Daryl asked. Rick looked at him with a sad smile. "I married her."

Daryl scoffed. "How's that supposed to be helpful?" he asked. "Maybe it'll help you realize that she's special to you before you go and screw it up." "Won't matter if she don't feel the same," Daryl murmured. He wasn't looking at Rick. He had never talked about stuff like this with Merle or anyone else. Feelings were something Dixons weren't allowed to have, not out in the open. Rick clapped him on the shoulder. "You'll never know how she feels if you don't ask her," he told him quietly. The thought made Daryl's insides turn to mush. His heart beat a little faster. How the hell was he supposed to ask her about that?

He went straight to his tent after dinner. Rick had given him a lot to think about. What Daryl really needed was a hunt. He needed to be out in the woods with his crossbow, sittin' silent as he waited for a deer to wander into his line of sight. There was absolutely nothing like a good hunt to calm his nerves and clear his mind. It was dark when he heard someone outside his tent. He figured it was Tyreese or Bob so he was surprised to hear a woman's voice. "Daryl? You in there?" He sat up. "Yeah." "You naked?" "What? No." He shook his head, trying not to laugh. "I'm comin' in." The tent unzipped and DJ crouched inside. She zipped it back up and turned to Daryl. "I need to talk to you." Daryl nodded, his insides wiggling wildly as his heart sped up. He felt some strange feeling he couldn't place. Hope, maybe?

"Listen, Ray still ain't back yet and I'm worried." He frowned, feeling disappointed. "Eric and Bobby convinced my dad that we should send out a search party tomorrow." "And?" "I want you to come, if you want. We could use your tracking talents." He could have said a million things, but all he said was, "you're going?" DJ nodded. "How'd you convince them to let you go?" She rolled her eyes and shot him an annoyed glare. "Look, _I_   think you're perfectly capable of takin' care o' yourself, but your dad and Sasquatch..." DJ tried to look annoyed but ended up laughing. "Sasquatch," she chortled. When she caught her breath she sat up straight and looked Daryl in the eyes.

"I know you think I'm stupid for feelin' guilty, but if you do this one thing for me, I'll owe you a huge favor which you can cash in anytime and I swear I'll do it without question..." Daryl rolled his eyes. "I think you're a lot o' things, but stupid ain't one of 'em," he told her softly. She smiled. "So you'll do it?" she asked. He paused, looking her over. The hopeful expression on her face made it impossible for him to decline. He nodded. Her eyes lit up and she tackled him in a bear hug. "I could just kiss you! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" He couldn't breathe, partially because for someone so tiny, DJ had a strong hold around his ribs, and partially because of what she'd said.

She released him. "We leave as soon as the sun comes up." She turned to leave but stopped at the entrance. She turned back to him, her face set in a serious expression. "And I meant what I said about owing you. Anything you ask..." He nodded, knowing he'd never ask her to do anything for him. She gave him a quick, sweet smile and then she was gone. Daryl had no idea what time it was, but he figured he should try to get some shut eye if they were leaving at sun-up. He eased himself back but kept his eyes open. It was an hour or two before Bob and Tyreese settled in. He closed his eyes and counted each deep, rumbling snore that Tyreese let out until he fell asleep.

It felt like it had only been twenty minutes when he was shaken awake. He slowly opened his eyes. Bob and Tyreese were both still sound asleep and DJ was leaning over him. "Come on, sleepy head," she whispered. Daryl grumbled but sat up and grabbed his crossbow. DJ waited for him outside the tent. When he crouched out and stood up she handed him a banana and some dry cereal. He ate it quietly as he followed her over to a small group at the edge of the woods. Daryl frowned.

She was wearing a thin, white tank top and tiny cut off shorts. The pockets of the shorts were longer than the shorts themselves and he knew she was wearing a hot pink bra because he could see it through the thin material of her shirt. She handed him a plastic bottle with water inside. "Drink up, it's gonna be hot today." He took the bottle. She glanced back at him. "Banana peels are biodegradable," she said with a wink. He just frowned back at her. "You can toss it on the ground without fear of my fury," she explained. So he dropped the peel and kept walking.


	16. Funeral

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a little short, sorry.

The search party consisted of DJ, Bobby, Eric, Daryl, and Charlie. DJ led Daryl down to the edge of the woods where the others stood waiting for them. She had taken a few seconds before shaking Daryl awake to just admire him. When he was awake it was hard to catch him with his guard down. He was always scowling or frowning or looking otherwise annoyed. But when he slept DJ could really _see_   him. There was a sweetness underneath the rough exterior that she rarely got to see during the day. She saw it when he was with Judith. She saw it when he talked to Rick sometimes. But it was clear as day when he slept.

They reached the group within a few minutes. Daryl finished his breakfast as they stopped. "Okay, this shouldn't take long. He's probably close but got turned around a little. We'll go East, in V-formation. Daryl will be in front since he's the tracker. The rest of us will fall in on either side. Hopefully we'll find him before it gets too hot," Bobby said. Once the plan was in order they picked up their packs. "Fall out," Bobby ordered. DJ stood behind Daryl, slightly to the right. Charlie was behind her. Bobby and Eric were to the left. Daryl led them into the woods. Eric was holding a compass to check their location.

No one spoke. DJ had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she kept as close to Daryl as she dared. Together they slipped through the woods, quiet as mice. Daryl held his hand up and stopped. "What is it?" DJ breathed. Her muscles were tense. She was going to be sore. Daryl bent down for a closer look of the forest floor. DJ's heart was pounding. "Just a rabbit," he told them, straightening up and gesturing for them to follow.

The sun was getting higher. Beads of perspiration quickly sprang to DJ's hairline. She wiped the sweat away with her hand and kept her eyes peeled. Where Daryl stepped, DJ stepped. She felt uneasy, like something was amiss. It was about twenty minutes before Daryl stopped them again. DJ immediately saw why Daryl had stopped them. In the brush just up ahead was a body. DJ's heart was hammering wildly. "Oh God..." she groaned in a whisper. "Stay," Daryl whispered to her. He looked at Eric and nodded toward the body. The two of them went to check it out while Bobby and Charlie each grabbed one of DJ's hands. Seconds later there was a raspy moan. DJ stepped forward without a thought, too quick for her brothers to hold her back.

Ray was standing, only he wasn't Ray. "No!" DJ sobbed. There was a quiet _whoosh_   from Daryl's crossbow and it was over just like that. DJ dropped to her knees, quiet sobs causing her whole body to shudder. Seconds later Daryl and Eric were rushing back. "DJ, come on, we gotta go," Daryl told her. "We can't leave him," DJ insisted. Daryl sighed. Bobby and Eric were lifting the body. Daryl quickly strapped his crossbow to his back, lifted DJ in his arms, and jogged in the direction of the camp with her brothers and Eric close. DJ tried to protest, but all she could do was sob. At least they weren't leaving Ray there to rot.

DJ didn't know how long they'd run when they broke through the trees and Daryl put her down in the grass. Sweat dripped from his face. She felt guilty. He wouldn't be so tired and sweaty if she had just got up and run like he'd told her to. He should have left her there. Fresh tears fell from her eyes. Daryl looked down at her with pure concern. He'd caught his breath now. DJ tried to hide her face but he gently moved her hands. "Come on. Just a little further," he murmured. DJ stood but her legs felt like jelly. She nearly fell, but Daryl caught her just in time. Eric and Bobby walked past with Ray's body, sending new sobs through DJ's chest.

Daryl pulled her close to him, his arm holding her around the waist, and helped her walk. Charlie stayed close behind with his hand gently pressed to the middle of her back. When they made it back to the ring of vehicles, her mother was waiting for her. She held her arms open and DJ broke away from Daryl and Charlie. She buried herself in her mother's embrace and when she fell to the ground, her mother went to her knees with her.

"Mama," DJ sobbed. "I know, baby, I know. Shhh. It's okay." DJ rocked back and forth, sobbing uncontrollably as her mother smoothed her hair. "What happened?" she heard her mother ask. "When we found him he...he...ah, shit," Daryl mumbled. "He turned and I didn't have a choice." DJ sobbed. Her throat was hurting something awful and she felt as though she would be sick at any moment. Ray was dead and it was all her fault. She heard someone running over, then her father's voice. "It's okay," her mother muttered against her hair. But it wasn't okay. It would never _be_   okay.

She woke with a start. Sweat had made her hair stick to her neck. Her head was pounding and her stomach was churning. She realized she was in her parents' RV. Quickly she sat up and flung the door open. She didn't make it three steps before she fell down and vomited. Not many people were around to see it. She wiped her mouth with the palm of her hand. She went back inside the RV and brushed her teeth. She splashed cold water on her face, soaking the top of her shirt. She left the RV again, sidestepping her puke. She walked past the cars to the side facing the woods.

Halfway out, Daryl was digging. The memory of what had happened washed over her so suddenly it nearly sent her to her knees. She slowly started toward Daryl. He stopped digging and looked up as she approached. When she reached him, he gave her a long, calculating look and then started digging again. "I know you're probably pissed at me, but if you could make this quick..." DJ frowned. "I ain't mad at you. You didn't do anything wrong." Daryl studied her face and dug some more. "You hated him, and now you're diggin' his grave?" Daryl shrugged, his face inscrutable. Sweat poured down his face and neck. DJ left him to his digging.

She came back to him a few minutes later with a bottle of water. She tossed it to him and he caught it. He gulped it down, reminding her of the first time they'd actually formally met. "Easy, tiger," she joked. He had downed half of it already when he wiped his lips and put the cap back on. He set it down by his foot and kept digging. DJ stepped closer and gently placed hand on his shoulder. His shirt was soaked. "Hey, take it easy. You're gonna give yourself a heat stroke," she told him. He tossed the shovel aside. "I'm done anyway," he grunted. She gave him a small smile, the best she could muster. She was miserable, but being around Daryl made it more bearable.

"Someone else coulda done this," she said quietly, looking down at the hole. "Bobby and Eric said they'd do it but I wanted to do it myself," Daryl admitted. "What? Why?" Daryl shrugged, lifting the bottle back up to his lips. He gulped down some more water and looked down at his dirty, callused hands. DJ bit her lip, deciding whether or not to push it. She was curious, but she didn't really want to press his buttons. She felt his gaze and looked up. "I thought you'd be pissed," he said. Daryl looked down at the grave. "Figured if I did this...maybe you wouldn't think I was some kind o' monster," he finished quietly.

Tears prickled at DJ's eyes. She slipped her arms around him and looked up. He looked at her, his eyes widening in surprise. "You're not a monster," she murmured. "And you didn't kill him. Walkers probably got him a while ago. What you did was the right thing to do." His eyebrows were furrowed and there was something in his eyes, like he was warring with himself. He looked down at her lips. "DJ..." Her heart was fluttering in her chest. "Hmm?" She kept imagining his lips on hers. Then she looked over at the hole in the ground and remembered that Ray was dead. Her stomach turned again.

"It wasn't walkers," Daryl told her quietly. Her eyes snapped back to Daryl. She took a step back. His arm fell lazily back to his side. "What?" she asked incredulously. "It wasn't walkers," he repeated. DJ shook her head, unable to process what he was telling her. If it wasn't walkers, what was it? She looked up at him, praying it was some kind of shitty joke. But when she looked in his eyes there was no humor. "That's why we had to get outta there so fast. His shit was missin' and there weren't any bites or scratches as far as I could see." DJ's mouth hung open uselessly. "There was a gunshot wound in his leg. He was still human when we found him...turned just as we got close." DJ covered her mouth to keep from screaming. "That's fucking sick," she whimpered. Someone had killed Ray. For what? A box of graham crackers and some water?

She breathed through her nose but it was no use. She dropped to her knees and retched beside the grave. Daryl leaned over her. Pulling her hair away from her face. "I'm sorry," he told her. "We had to leave in a hurry 'cause whoever done it coulda been close by. Couldn't risk 'em hearin' us, maybe followin' us." DJ was shaking. Daryl sat down and pulled her close. She sobbed into his chest. He put his lips to the top of her head and kissed her hair. "This is not your fault," he whispered. She cried harder. "You're not to blame. You hear me? It ain't your fault." But she couldn't shake the feeling that it was.

They buried Ray that evening as the sun was going down. The preacher from her old town stood in front of the grave as Bobby, Charlie, Eric, and Daryl lowered Ray's body. When he was in the ground, the men stepped back and the preacher looked down and read from his Bible. "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement: Hebrews chapter nine, verse twenty-seven." He looked up at the crowd. "Ray was a troubled man; I think most would agree. But it is not for us to pass judgement." DJ felt a rough hand interlocking with her own. She looked down. Daryl was just behind her. Most people would never notice their hands. The preacher droned on about God and Ray for a few minutes. DJ wasn't really listening. All she could hear was Daryl's gruff voice in her mind, whispering that it wasn't her fault. And, God, she wanted to believe that.

"Let's pray." Everyone bowed their heads, even Daryl. Though she and Daryl both had their eyes open, looking at each other. He had slipped his way up beside her and was rubbing her hand gently. "Heavenly Father, we ask that you lift up Ray's spirit and welcome him to your Kingdom. His life was taken too soon and, Lord, we ask you to come into the hearts of his friends and loved ones and heal them. We pray you forgive him his sins. This we ask in Jesus' name. Amen." There was a low chorus of "amen" from the camp. The preacher nodded to DJ. She squeezed Daryl's hand then moved to where the preacher had been standing. She took a deep breath.

" _Amazing grace_  
 _How sweet the sound_  
 _That saved a wretch like me_  
 _I once was lost_  
 _But now I'm found_  
 _Was blind_  
 _But now I see_

_'Twas grace that taught_  
 _My heart to fear_  
 _And grace my fears relieved_  
 _How precious did_  
 _That grace appear_  
 _The hour I first believed_

_Through many dangers_  
 _Toils and snares_  
 _We have already come_  
 _'Twas grace that brought_  
 _Us safe thus far_  
 _And grace will lead us home_

_When we've been there_  
 _Ten thousand years_  
 _Bright shinin' as the sun_  
 _We've no less days_  
 _To sing God's grace_  
 _Than when we first begun_

_Amazing grace_  
 _How sweet the sound_  
 _That saved a wretch like me_  
 _I once was lost_  
 _But now I'm found_  
 _Was blind_  
 _But now I see..._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not particularly religious myself, but I was born and raised in the Bible Belt. While some of the people in the camp undoubtedly share my lack of faith, I imagine there are plenty who believe so I threw together the funeral prayer. In my experience (and unfortunately, I do have a good bit of funeral experience), most funerals involve prayer and some version of "Amazing Grace" (at least all the ones I've ever been to). This chapter was in no way intended to advocate any particular religion, or religion in general. So basically, don't get offended.
> 
> Annnnnd P.S. If you like "Amazing Grace" I highly recommend the LeAnn Rimes acapella version. She doesn't sing every verse, but it's still insanely beautiful.


	17. The Road To Colorado Pt. 1

Daryl felt chills all over. DJ's voice was something he could only describe as haunting. As she sang the final verse Daryl noticed a lot of people dabbing their eyes. He found himself wondering if it was because Ray was gone or because the way DJ sang the song she could make an atheist into a believer. When she had sung the last note she wiped a tear from her eye. Bobby and Charlie engulfed her from each side before Charlie led her away. She stood with her parents as Charlie rushed back to help Bobby and Eric shovel dirt over the grave.

The crowd thinned. Daryl watched as DJ's parents gently led her away from the grave. Daryl was about to help fill the grave when he felt a hand on his back. Carol looked up at him, concern flooding her eyes. She looked as though she was about to say something, but thought better of it. She squeezed his shoulder gently and walked back to camp. Daryl helped fill in the grave silently. He was physically and emotionally exhausted and he knew the next day would be terrible. They were leaving by noon at the latest. He wouldn't get a chance to talk to DJ for a while.

They packed the last shovelful of dirt on the grave and wiped the sweat from their brows. Charlie and Bobby left for guard duty, leaving Eric and Daryl to head back to camp. Daryl's hope for a silent walk back was quickly dashed. As soon as Charlie and Bobby were out of earshot Eric started talking. "You tell her what happened to Ray?" he asked. "Yep." Daryl waited for Eric to tell him off but he never did. "I saw you with her. When you were diggin'." Daryl rolled his eyes and grit his teeth. "So?" Eric shrugged. "I've never seen her like that. She's always so...tough. Even when we were younger. She's kind of a badass." Daryl grunted, unsure of what to say.

Eric stopped walking. "Look, I don't know what she sees in you, but she sees _somethin'_." Daryl didn't get it either. Eric pointed a finger right into Daryl's chest. "You're lucky, probably the luckiest son of a bitch alive, so don't blow it." They stood in front of each other, staring each other down. Eric had a good four inches on him, but that didn't mean shit. Finally Eric unclenched his fists. "Let me give you some pointers from someone who's known her for twenty-eight years." Daryl kept his mouth shut and his eyes narrowed but he was actually shocked. The _last_   person he expected to get advice about DJ from was Eric fucking Jennings.

"Don't let that sweet smile and that cute little southern accent fool you, DJ Bennett is a force to be reckoned with. Piss her off and you're askin' for trouble. She will not hesitate to call you out on any bullshit, so don't even try. Flowers and candy don't impress her. Wanna make an impression? Take her huntin' or somethin' most guys don't think a girl can or should do. It shows you respect her and that you know she can do anything. And most importantly, _never_   tell her what to do. Ever. She will rip you a new one." Daryl thought about that. "Then why do _you_   always tell her what to do?" Eric frowned. "'Cause knowin' she can handle herself and acceptin' it are two different things. The thing about lovin' a girl like DJ is their urge to do somethin' reckless kick-starts our urge to keep 'em safe. Just 'cause I know she can shoot a gun and use her machete doesn't mean I don't worry. What if there's more zombies than she can handle by herself? She forgets she ain't indestructible."

Daryl was quiet as they resumed their trek back to camp. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't think she'll get a chance to do anything stupid anytime soon. We're gonna be on the road a while. We all wanna get to Colorado as soon as possible. No more stops except for gas and driver switches." Daryl nodded. It didn't make him feel better really. He doubted she'd really be feeling reckless anyway. She seemed pretty subdued for the time being.

They broke through the ring of cars and went their separate ways. Daryl looked for DJ but she wasn't around. He figured she needed her space and he was tired anyway, so he crawled into his tent for the last time for a while and tried to make himself comfortable on his sleeping bag. He quickly decided that the next time there was a run he was getting a damn pillow. After some tossing and turning he managed to fall asleep.

Morning came too quickly. Tyreese shook him awake and handed him some jerky. He rolled up his sleeping bag and helped take down the tent. As he turned to walk towards the truck he'd hotwired, Charlie approached him. "Hey, would you ride with me and DJ? I don't think she's up for drivin' and I barely slept." Daryl nodded. Charlie clapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks." Charlie jogged over to the Prius and disappeared into the back seat. Daryl saw Carol a few yards away and made his way over to her. "Hey," he said gruffly, still trying to wake up. "Hey." She smiled. "What's up?" Daryl rubbed his eyes. "I'm goin' with Charlie and DJ and I just wanted to see if you wanted the truck," he told her. "Oh, that's sweet of you but I got a ride." Daryl nodded. "Probably better. No key to the truck." Next time he'd find something with more room and a key.

Charlie was laid out in the back seat of the Prius, snoring loudly, when Daryl opened the driver's side door. DJ was staring vacantly out the passenger's side window. Daryl decided not to try and talk to her. He was tired still and she'd been through a lot. He waited til the rest of the camp started their cars, then started the Prius. He felt kind of stupid driving it. Before the world went to shit he'd driven an ancient, beat up, piece of shit Chevy truck. The faded black paint had been peeling, the left tail light was busted, and the glove compartment only shut if you slammed it in place three or four times. It was a man's ride. This Prius...well it certainly had DJ written all over it. Based on her cigarette speech and the fact that she drove a Hybrid, Daryl figured she was at least a little bit of a tree hugger.

It was four and half hours before they stopped. Daryl had no idea where they were, but it was some stretch of road in the middle of the backwoods. The driver in front of him stepped out, so Daryl did the same. Members of the council were going around to each driver to tell them they had ten minutes to use the bathroom if they needed and asking how they were on fuel. Daryl shook Charlie awake. "Need to piss?"

It was nice to just stretch his legs. He entered the woods to the left of the road; that was the designated men's side. When he was done, he zipped up and went back to the car. DJ was leaning on the hood of the car with her eyes closed and her legs stretched out in front of her like she was getting a tan. Daryl stood beside her. "You okay?" he asked. She opened one eye, nodded, and closed it again. Charlie dragged himself over. "You still good to drive or you want me to take over?" he asked. "I'm good," Daryl told him.

After the ten minutes were up, they piled back into the Prius. They were back on the road in no time. Charlie quickly dozed off in the back, but DJ just kept staring out the window. Daryl thought about the advice Eric had given him. He figured pushing her to talk to him would only make her mad and he liked her better when she was sweet. So he drove in silence. Music would have been nice, but he didn't know how to work the radio and there wouldn't be anything on it anyway but static.

They were almost through Alabama before they decided to stop for a few hours. Daryl welcomed the break. No one bothered to set up tents. They were only staying til sunrise. Charlie sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Wow, I haven't gotten that much sleep in forever," he yawned. He picked up a bag from the floorboard and dug around a bit. He pulled out some jerky for himself, then handed the bag to Daryl. He fished out and apple and a granola bar. He couldn't wait to hunt some real food. Squirrel gravy had never sounded so good in his life, and squirrel gravy _always_   sounded good.

He passed the bag to DJ but she wouldn't take it. "Eat." She shook her head. Daryl gripped the bag tighter and shook it. _Don't tell her what to do,_ he reminded himself. He took a deep breath to calm himself. Getting all riled up wouldn't help. "You ain't eat all day. I know you're hungry." DJ frowned. "I'm okay, really." Daryl felt his temper rising and had to bite his tongue to keep from exploding on her. "DJ, please. Eat something for _my_   sanity," he pleaded. DJ huffed in annoyance but pulled out a granola bar and tore the wrapper open. She glared at him as she took a bite. "Happy?" she grumbled with her mouth full. Daryl nodded.

Charlie switched places with Daryl. He'd been fighting sleep for the past two hours. The tiny backseat of the Prius was less than ideal, but he'd slept in worse places. At least there was a pillow and the seat was soft. He fell asleep easily for the first time in a long time. If he dreamed, he couldn't remember it. He was exhausted.

He woke with a start to a giant thunderclap. The car was moving. He looked in the passenger seat. DJ was curled up, asleep as far as Daryl could tell. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Rain was pouring outside the windows. "Mornin'!" Daryl grunted. It took a few minutes before he was really awake. "She eat?" Charlie glanced over at his sister. "I got her to eat a protein bar...well, half o' one anyway." Daryl sighed. "How long we been on the road?" Daryl wasn't sure if the clock on the dash was right. "Approximately two and a half hours. We should stop for fuel and bathroom breaks in about an hour and a half. If you absolutely gotta go, there's an empty water bottle..." "I'm fine." He was not about to piss in a bottle in the back of DJ's car. With his luck she'd wake up and turn around.

It was slow going for a long time. The rain came down in sheets, making visibility terrible at best. DJ woke up just as they reached a stopping point. Daryl opened the door and hauled ass to the woods. Rain wasn't very helpful when you really needed to pee. He was gone less than two minutes but he was soaked by the time he reached the Prius. DJ and Charlie were both gone when Daryl got back. A few minutes later DJ crawled back into the passenger seat. Charlie returned moments later. "Where are we?" DJ asked. Daryl had been wondering the same thing. "Um, somewhere right around Tupelo, Mississippi."


	18. The Road To Colorado Pt. 2

DJ had lost her appetite completely. She had forced a granola bar down for Daryl's sake but she hadn't wanted it. Then her brother threw a protein bar at her head and told her to eat it whether she liked it or not. She ate half of it and told him to be grateful. She wasn't trying to upset anyone, she just wasn't hungry. In fact, she felt pretty nauseated most of the time. She figured it was a combination of stress, guilt, and an unholy amount of crying.

When they stopped the first time in Mississippi, she had gone into the woods to relieve herself and almost threw up...again. Luckily she got a handle on herself and managed to keep down her half a protein bar. They'd be stopping again soon and she would volunteer to drive. Hopefully Charlie and Daryl would both fall asleep and she could drive in silence without it being awkward.

They stopped in the middle of Mississippi. People scurried off into the woods or just stretched by their cars. DJ quickly got out of the car and headed into the woods. When she came back to the Prius Daryl was waiting by the driver's side. "I'll take over. You get some rest." He looked a little surprised. "I'm not tired." DJ shrugged. "I still wanna drive." He gave her a once over and nodded. He didn't have much choice anyway. It was _her_   car and she wouldn't hesitate to point that out. Daryl ducked into the passenger side and came back up with a bag of chips. He tossed them to her and glared at her until she opened them and popped one in her mouth.

She crunched a few of them slowly. The last thing she wanted was to get sick. "What's your obsession with my eating habits anyway?" He squinted his eyes against the sun. "It was always my understandin' that people gotta eat in order to survive." She half smiled. "I like it when you're sassy." He grinned. DJ's heart sped up a little. She loved when he smiled, and he so rarely did. Charlie rejoined them then. "Man, I hate pissin' in the woods," he complained. "At least it ain't rainin' no more." "True."

"How are we on fuel?" DJ asked. "I'm about to fill up. You gonna drive?" DJ nodded. Minutes later the tank was full and they were on the road again. Charlie curled up in the back while Daryl rode shotgun. It was silent for several miles until Charlie started snoring. DJ rolled her eyes but smiled. "That fucker snores loud enough to wake the dead." Daryl chortled quietly. It was about an hour later that Daryl spoke. "You doin' okay?" he asked. "Mmhmm." DJ kept her eyes firmly on the road. She didn't feel much like talking still. Luckily Daryl seemed to be at a loss for words and didn't talk again.

As they passed through Little Rock, Daryl fell asleep. DJ had looked over to ask him if he was hungry and found him with his head against the window, eyes shut and mouth slightly open. She smiled and trained her eyes back to the car in front of her. They'd be stopping again close to Clarksville. He could eat then if he was hungry. She started humming. Mostly because she was bored and it was something to do. She tried not to hum songs that reminded her of Ray, which was hard. Those were the ones that kept popping into her mind. She frowned and went silent.

The drive from Little Rock to Clarksville had taken about an hour and a half. DJ was glad to stop. She had downed a bottle of water and was feeling the effects. She turned the car off and shook Daryl. "Hey, sleepy head. Potty break." He grumbled and made sleepy noises that made DJ smile. How did he manage to be pretty badass while simultaneously being the most adorable human on earth? She turned around. "Charlie! Get up!" she yelled. He jerked awake and punched at thin air. DJ laughed at him. "Piss stop."

She got out and headed for the woods. When she had finished doing her business she went back to the Prius. Daryl was leaned up against the hood with a cigarette dangling from his lips and a map in his hands. He folded the map back up and took the cigarette between his thumb and finger. "Hey." DJ joined him against the hood of the car. They stood there in silence for a moment, watching people go in and out of the woods and filling up gas tanks. Finally Daryl broke the silence.

"So are you pissed at me?" he asked. DJ shot him a puzzled look. "Why would I be pissed at you?" Daryl looked down at his feet. "'Cause o' what happened...ya know..." DJ sighed and put her right hand over Daryl's left hand. "You didn't do anything wrong, Daryl. You ain't the one who killed him." Daryl nodded. His insides were tingling. He liked how soft DJ's hands were. He laced his fingers with hers but didn't look at her. "I'm sorry you had to see it," he told her quietly. She squeezed his hand gently.

If she weren't still in shock and upset about Ray, she would have kissed him. Right there in the middle of the road with a hundred people watching. But she couldn't stop feeling horrible for what happened to Ray. In her mind, it was her fault. Thoughts of Ray always led to thoughts of Beau and she couldn't help but wonder if she was really even worthy of love. Every man who loved her seemed to wind up miserable and dead. The thought of something bad happening to Daryl made DJ's chest ache.

"You still wanna drive?" Daryl's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Hm? Yeah." Charlie returned from the woods and Daryl slipped his hand out of DJ's. She frowned, but she had come to just appreciate those little moments of affection, however short-lived they were. "Guys, you'll never believe what I found when I went to take a leak!" DJ smiled. "What?" Charlie laughed like a kid. "A condom! A used fucking condom!" DJ wrinkled her nose. "Nasty!" But she was laughing. "So fucking gross. But that means there were people here." "Who knows how long ago, though? I never saw any sign of people when I was in the woods."

A few minutes later they were back on the road. DJ hooked up her iPod and she and Charlie sang along to some of the songs. She put on a playlist of a bunch of Irish music. When a slow song started Charlie protested. "More Flogging Molly!" DJ laughed. "Chill, bro." "I don't feel like listening to slow songs. I want to listen to fast, upbeat songs. Get pumped!" Daryl raised his eyebrows at him, making DJ laugh. "My baby brother is a very upbeat person," she said. She looked at Charlie in the rearview. "You like Celtic Woman, don't fucking lie!" "Yeah, they're great, but I wanna listen to the faster songs." DJ groaned. "Daryl, can you switch the song, please?" He pressed the skip button, shaking his head with a small smile.

Their next stop was outside Wellington, Kansas. They would stop there for the night and get back on the road at sunrise the next morning. DJ put the car in park and cut the engine. "I'm gonna stretch my legs," Charlie said, opening his door. DJ watched him jog up the caravan. "It's probably gonna be just you and me for a while," she told Daryl. He didn't say anything. They sat in silence for several minutes. With most people it probably would have been uncomfortable, but with Daryl it felt...good. He was a quiet guy, it seemed, and DJ felt perfectly comfortable around him.

"What are you thinkin' about?" he asked quietly a few minutes later. DJ realized she'd been chewing her lip. "Nothin', really," she fibbed. She'd been thinking of Colorado and of Beau and Ray. He stared at her with a dubious look. "Colorado," she confessed. Daryl nodded. "I've been thinkin' about that too," he admitted. "Really?" DJ turned her body to face Daryl. "It's kinda scary, ya know? I've never been outta Georgia." "It's not bad. I've seen the camp." "You have?" DJ nodded. "It's pretty big; fifteen hundred acres." Daryl raised his eyebrows. "Wow." "Yeah, John started buildin' like two years before the outbreak. He basically wanted to build his own town." "He must be rich. Land don't come cheap usually." "He owns...owned...a computer software business. Wasn't Bill Gates rich, but he was far from broke. Started buyin' up land every chance he got."

"So what did it look like last time you saw it?" DJ concentrated, trying to remember all the little details. "Well, he'd just started when I saw it. The walls around it were up and he'd started diggin' for the shippin' containers. The ranch house was still up; don't know if it still is or not. He said he planned on keepin' the shippin' containers as a backup plan or in case it got too crowded, people could make homes underground. He planned on building houses and apartments too. He wanted it to be a community. Someplace where survivors could make a life, have a place to call home." She looked straight into Daryl's eyes and felt a familiar rush.

"You think it's safe there?" DJ smiled. "Definitely. The walls are three feet thick reinforced concrete built four stories high. Ain't nothin' but some kinda tank could break it down." He nodded, but there was something in his eyes that had DJ worried. "You don't believe me?" "It's not that," he assured her. "So what is it?" "I'm just anxious to see it, I guess. I'm okay on the road, but it ain't no life for kids. I know Rick wants to see Judith grow up somewhere safe." "She will. It'll be safe in John's camp and she'll grow up with a bunch of other kids her age. Maybe she'll even get married and have her own kids someday. It could be good. It could be okay." She wasn't sure if she believed it, but she wanted to and she wanted Daryl to believe it too.  He nodded.

When the sun came up, the group started their cars and got going. Daryl was in the back asleep, Charlie was in the driver's seat. DJ looked out the window and watched the world go by as they kept pace with the caravan. "We'll finally get to Colorado today," Charlie said with a grin. "Mmhmm." "Come on, it's exciting!" DJ shrugged. Truthfully she liked being on the road or sleeping in tents. Her uncle's camp was more like a town; it would be easy for Daryl to just avoid her. When she thought of Beau and Ray she wondered if it was safer for him to avoid her. DJ was starting to feel carsick so she looked away from the window. She glanced back at Daryl. He was fast asleep facing the front.

"Trouble in paradise, sis?" DJ looked at Charlie and rolled her eyes. "You seemed pretty cozy yesterday. Don't think I didn't notice the hand-holding." He was grinning, the corners of his eyes crinkled with amusement. "That's what people do when they try to be comforting," she told him in a bored tone. "Sure, sometimes, but something tells me he wasn't trying to comfort you." "Whatever." Charlie chuckled. "Don't get pissy. I think it's nice." DJ rolled her eyes again. "What? Look, when you and Beau didn't work out and you went a little..." She pursed her lips. "You know...I don't know, I always imagined you'd go to Nashville. I kept waitin' for you to call me and tell me you were leavin' but you never did." DJ frowned. "Yeah, well, I didn't think I'd make it out there. I figured they'd chew me up and spit me out. Dreamin' about it was easier than goin' out and actually tryin'." She had never admitted that before. "I have never known you to take the easy way out of anything." DJ smiled sadly. "Well, even wildflowers get stuck sometimes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to take a quick second to thank y'all for reading this story and to say that I have an idea for a non-apocalypse AU, which I will be working on soon (while continuing this one).


	19. Colorado

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is kind of short but the next one will be longer. :)

Daryl woke up in the back of the Prius to the sound of DJ and Charlie talking. "...get there? I mean, it's a pretty big place." DJ was saying. Daryl rubbed the back of his neck, which was sore from the way he'd been sleeping. DJ turned around and smiled. "Mornin', sleepy head." He yawned. "Only one stop left til Colorado!" Her enthusiasm seemed forced. Daryl could see a hint of worry behind her eyes, but decided to ignore it. Maybe she was just as nervous as he was. "How long?" he asked. "Only about another hour til we stop, then probably about four hours or so to the camp."

They occupied their time with talk of things before the apocalypse. Daryl enjoyed listening to their stories but preferred not tell many of his own. "Tell about the time you got arrested!" Charlie insisted. "You were arrested?" That surprised Daryl. "Ugh, it's not as bad as it sounds, I swanney! Okay so me and like, four other people were bored and a little tipsy. There was this little pond out close to my house and we could walk there. So we're just takin' a little stroll and then I get it in my head that I wanna be naked." Daryl chuckled. "So I tell my friends I'm gonna skinny dip. So I get butt ass nekkid as the day I was born and I jump right on in the pond. My friends started hollerin' and laughin' and makin' a bunch o' noise. Anyway, I convince 'em to come in with me. This pond is barely big enough for all five of us but whatever, we've got some whiskey in us and we're feelin' invincible. So they strip and splash in with me and we're all makin' racket. A few minutes later we hear sirens and see blue lights. Everybody's scramblin' to get out and by the time there's enough room for me to shimmy out everyone else has run off and I get caught."

Charlie was laughing so hard his ears were red. "Turns out we were on private property and the owner was none too thrilled. I got charged with trespassing, disorderly conduct, and disturbing the peace. The charges were dropped, though." Daryl shook his head. "How'd you manage to get the charges dropped?" Charlie went silent and DJ cleared her throat. "Uh...well...I may or may not have slept with both the cop and the property owner." "Oh." Daryl frowned. There was no logical reason for him to feel jealous, but he did. His stomach fluttered and he felt like he wanted to throw up. "Yeah, but anyway, in the wise words of Rafiki, 'it doesn't matter, it's in the past.'"

They stopped for the final time somewhere outside of Colby, Kansas. Daryl grabbed his crossbow and headed for the woods. He had to shoot a couple walkers before he could safely take a piss. He finished and walked back to the car. DJ joined him a few moments later. She laid out on the hood, her legs stretched out. "I will say this for the zombie apocalypse, I haven't been this tan since high school." Daryl took out a cigarette earning a dirty look from DJ. "Yeah, yeah, I know. They're bad." He lit it. She pursed her lips but didn't say anything. Charlie came out of the woods and waved. Daryl waved back and watched him do some jumping jacks. "The smoke bothers his allergies," DJ told him. Daryl looked at her. How long had she been staring at him. "Oh." A few more drags and he was finished.

This time when he put it out, he picked the butt up off the ground. They had a trash bag inside the car. Daryl twirled the squished cigarette in his fingers. "The world's gone to shit and you're worried about litter," he said, eying her. She shrugged. "Just because there aren't many people left doesn't mean we can let the earth become even more polluted than it already is. There's still people and because of camps like my uncle's, there will be people for a long time hopefully." "You think there are other camps?" Daryl asked. DJ nodded. "Sure, why not? My uncle can't be the only one crazy enough to prepare for the end of the world."

They were back on the road a few minutes later. Daryl drove while Charlie sat shotgun and DJ slept in the back. It was quiet at first. Daryl wasn't really sure what to talk about, but he figured the conversation would lead to DJ eventually, and he didn't want her to be awake for that. Charlie must have felt the same because he didn't speak until DJ's breathing was even and he had said her name really loudly with no response. "Well, she's passed out so now we can talk about her." Daryl kept his face blank and his eyes on the road.

"Who says I wanna talk about her?" Daryl grumbled. "Maybe you don't, but I do." Daryl tried to keep his face blank but it was hard. He wanted to look at Charlie, to read him. "When we get to the camp it'll be safe. The only time any of us will have to worry is on runs. She won't admit that she likes you, but everyone sees it. I think you see it too." Daryl shook his head. "You don't see it, or you don't like her?" Daryl rolled his eyes. "I'm really not in the mood," he warned. Charlie scoffed. "Well you better prepare yourself for the inevitable because DJ always gets what she wants one way or another." Daryl glanced at Charlie. He was relaxed with a little grin on his face.

"We don't know each other that well." Charlie shrugged. "It's the apocalypse, dude. There's not much to know about anybody really. The past don't matter much, all that matters is who a person is now. The funny thing about the apocalypse is that it shows who a person really is. It brings out the best in some and the worst in others. You can never _really_ know a person until you see how they react to something like this." That was true. "And everyone just assumes I'm a good person?" Daryl looked at him momentarily before turning his eyes back to the road. Charlie rolled his eyes. "If you _weren't_ do you think we would have let you stay with us? Let go of whatever your life was like in the past and start livin' for today, 'cause that's all any of us really has. That's a lesson DJ needs to learn too. Maybe y'all can teach each other."

DJ woke a couple hours later and Charlie made her eat a granola bar. "Where are we?" she asked groggily, ripping the wrapper off of her lunch. "We're gettin' close. Shouldn't be but a couple more hours," Charlie told her. "Oh good. I'm bored as fuck." Daryl shook his head. "You literally just woke up; how are you bored?" "I have a hard time sittin' still," she answered. After DJ finished her granola bar, Daryl turned on her iPod. If she couldn't move around, she had to do _something_ with all her pent up energy and Daryl liked listening to her sing. Charlie didn't even complain about the music, mostly. There were a few songs that he rolled his eyes at, but if it kept his sister occupied, he put up with it.

They crossed the state line into Colorado in the evening. Just a few more miles and they would finally reach their destination. The closer they got the more Daryl's heart pounded in his chest. He didn't know exactly what to expect. What would it look like? Would DJ's uncle really welcome all of them? The thing that worried him the most was how it would affect his...whatever it was...with DJ. If there were already a ton of people there, she could find someone better to spend her time with. Daryl knew he was a little awkward around women and he didn't think he was all that good looking, so who's to say she wouldn't get herself someone who was attractive and funny and charming? He bit his lip.

"Almost there," Charlie breathed. His eyes sparkled with excitement. Daryl glanced at DJ who was leaning forward between himself and her brother. She looked just as nervous as he felt. They passed signs of the outbreak with every inch forward. Rotten corpses littered the ground, and there was gore everywhere. It was desolate and eerily quiet. The three of them took a collective breath and held it.

The compound was clearly visible from more than two miles away when the road was flat. The caravan seemed to speed up, eager to get to the safety that the camp offered. Daryl stepped on the gas and tailed the car in front of him as close as he dared. As they inched closer, more corpses could be seen. "It looks like the scene in the third Lord of the Rings movie...ya know...all those dead Orcs and shit," Charlie whispered. "Yeah," DJ breathed.

The caravan slowly came to a stop outside the huge concrete walls. There was old blood near the bottom, splattered all over the place. The walls were four stories high with barbed wire on top. There were four guards on top of the front wall and Daryl assumed there were at least that many on the other walls. No one moved. The guards had a quick conversation and one turned to come down. A few minutes later a huge metal gate creaked open and the guard came out to greet the council with another man. "It's too far away to tell, but I think that's John," Charlie said. DJ nodded.

Within five minutes the council members were back in their vehicles and the caravan was moving once more. Daryl's stomach was doing somersaults. He was biting his lip so hard it hurt and he had to tell himself to stop. Slowly the group rode inside the walls. DJ snaked a hand up to Daryl's shoulder and squeezed. She seemed as nervous as he was. Or maybe she was excited. He wasn't sure which. Finally the Prius crossed the threshold into the camp and what Daryl saw made his jaw drop and his eyes widen.


	20. Home Sweet Home

DJ's uncle had been busy. About thirty feet from the entrance were four rows of houses. They were close together, DJ counted sixteen to a row starting from the left side of the compound. Over on the right, about fifteen feet from the entrance was a stable. The ranch house still stood off to the left. Around it were small plots of plowed land for growing crops. Beyond that were three glass buildings that DJ guessed were greenhouses. In the back right corner was a huge three story apartment building. A few feet away from the apartments were some targets.

"Holy shit," Charlie gasped. The cars inched forward, parking between the stables and the targets. As soon as Daryl parked the car, DJ was out. Looking around at the walls made her feel so small. She looked over at the apartments, which were still being built on the side closest to the back wall. "Amazing, isn't it? We've got just over a hundred and fifty people and look how far we've come." DJ grinned at her uncle. He engulfed her in a bear hug. "It's been too long," he muttered. They pulled apart as Charlie and Daryl made their way over. John shook Charlie's hand. "This is Daryl," Charlie told him, nodding to Daryl. John shook his hand. "Welcome, welcome."

More and more people were filing out of their cars. DJ's parents made their way over. They greeted John, Charlie, DJ, and Daryl. "So how many ya got?" John asked. "One hundred and nineteen, one pregnant." John glanced at DJ. "Not me!" He shrugged with a grin. "Too bad. I'm sure your parents would love some new grandkids." "Not until she remarries," her mother said pointedly, but she was smiling. DJ rolled her eyes. Her parents were so _traditional_.

"So you think there's enough room to accommodate?" her father asked. "It'll be a tight fit until we finish construction, but I think so. We've got plans for about twenty one more houses to be constructed between the greenhouses and the apartments. Each house we have is three bedrooms, 2 and a half bathrooms. When the apartments are done there will sixty-six three bedroom apartments and sixty-six two bedroom apartments." "How long do you estimate the construction to take?" John shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I've got about fifty guys or so on the job, but their main focus right now are the the apartments." Dj's father nodded. "I'll be sure to talk the men in my group. I'm sure none of those who are able will oppose the work."

A short while later John left to talk to his wife and DJ's dad addressed the group. He asked for all able-bodied men to help with the building and for the women and their children to follow DJ's mother to see where they could be used. "Ugh so sexist," DJ groaned under her breath as she followed the group of women and children over to the ranch house. Her aunt Evelyn was waiting for them out by the door. She welcomed them to the compound with a smile. She explained the type of work most women did in the community. Women were responsible for tending the crops, both in the large garden plots outside the house and in the greenhouses. This would become a split task with the men once all construction was complete. Women tended the horses, fed what little livestock they had (a dozen chickens and four pigs), did laundry, cooked meals, and washed dishes and any other cleaning that needed doing.

DJ had to make a conscious effort not to fly off the handle. It drove her nuts. She wanted to go on supply runs, kill walkers, guard the walls. Being stuck doing "woman's work" just didn't sit well with her. When she was asked to stay and watch the children with a few other women, she did so without complaint, but it was only a matter of time before she absolutely lost it. Her mother and aunt delegated tasks to the rest of the women. A small group was given the task of fieldwork. Another group was sent to the stables, and the rest were set to work helping prepare for the huge dinner that they were having in honor of their arrival.

DJ sat in a rocking chair with Jackson on her lap. He was quiet as she read to him. She was reading Where The Wild Things Are, which was one of Jackson's favorites and had been one of her favorites as a kid. The rest of the kids from their camp were split between Julie and Beth. There were four kids from the compound gathered at the foot of the rocking chair, listening to DJ reading. The rest were playing with various toys around the large living room of the ranch house.

From the Georgia group there were a total of nine kids between the ages of newborn to four. From the Colorado group there were twelve kids in that same age group. All the kids from the ages of five up to sixteen had to participate in homeschool. Out of the Georgia group, there were only six. According to her cousin Hannah, there were thirty-five kids in the Colorado group between the ages of five and sixteen. Hannah also told her there were three pregnant women from the Colorado group. "I hope now that we're safe Maggie and Glenn will have a baby," Beth said with a dreamy look in her eyes. DJ smiled. "Maybe they will. No reason not to, unless they just don't want kids."

A few hours later DJ's uncle and two of her cousins took the Georgia group on a tour of the compound. It took a while to navigate all the acreage on foot, but it was easy to remember. There were sixty-four houses that were complete, not counting the ranch house where her cousin Mark lived with his wife Annie and their two small kids. The apartments were the top construction priority, and they were almost done. After that they would move on to building three rows of seven houses between the apartments and the greenhouses. Those houses would be a little bigger with four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms each. Not far from where the new houses would be built was a huge fire pit, and between the two areas was a small building. "That's the clinic," Mark told them.

During the tour her cousin James explained how they were able to have power and running water using solar panels, but warned them against using too much. The only thing on DJ's mind from then on was getting a shower. At the end of the tour her uncle showed them to the empty houses available for their use. Most everyone was more than excited to be settled finally. DJ opted to set up her tent rather than occupy a house with as many people as they could cram in. She knew she could just take a shower at the ranch. She heard footsteps as she was setting up her tent near the stables and looked up.

"What're you doin'?" Daryl asked, bewildered. "What's it _look_   like I'm doin', genius?" Daryl frowned. "Sorry, that was rude." "We can stay in them houses and you wanna go campin'?" She shrugged. "I like my space. Once the apartments are done I'll take one...maybe share with Charlie if he wants." She smiled a little. "Maybe we'll live next to Jackson and his dad." Daryl bent down to help. "What happened to his mom?" DJ frowned. "She had to have a C-section and they couldn't stop the bleedin'. It happened too fast. They pulled Jackson out and not even a minute later she was gone." Tears sprung to her eyes. Jackson's mother had been one of DJ's friends from high school. Her name was Sabrina and she had been one of the nicest girls in school. DJ could see her coming down the hallway with a grin on her freckled face like it was yesterday.

"I'm sorry," Daryl said. DJ wiped a tear that had fallen and sniffled. "She was really sweet. We were close friends in high school." They finished setting up the tent a few minutes later. Daryl held his hand out to help DJ up. "Thanks." He helped her carry her belongings from the Prius to her tent. People were gathering around the fire pit as the sun began to set. "Guess it's about time to eat," DJ said. She and Daryl walked slowly towards the thickening crowd.

"So, how's it feel to be safe?" DJ asked as they walked. Daryl shrugged. "Hasn't really sunk in yet, I guess," he replied. She nodded. It hadn't sunk in for her yet either. The crowd parted as they approached. Most people were holding bowls of some kind of stew with homemade bread for dunking. She and Daryl each got a bowl and dug in. The meat was definitely venison. Kids were running around, adults were talking. Rick came over holding Judith.

"Beautiful evenin' for a bonfire, huh?" DJ smiled. "It is. You enjoyin' yourself?" He grinned and nodded, bouncing Judith gently in his arms. She gurgled happily. "It all feels too good to be true." DJ understood perfectly. "Let's hope it isn't," she said with a small smile. The three of them talked for a while before Rick excused himself to find Carl. "I like him," DJ declared as she and Daryl watched him go. "He's a good guy," Daryl agreed. "You two seem pretty close," DJ observed. Daryl nodded. "He's my best friend." DJ smiled. "That's so cute." Daryl lifted an eyebrow but before he could say anything, a hush fell over the crowd. Her uncle stood on a wooden chair with his arms up. When the crowd was silent, he spoke.

"Tonight, we welcome the new members of our community! My brother Robert and his lovely wife Joan have managed to bring a whopping one hundred and nineteen people to our safe haven all the way from Georgia!" The crowd roared its approval. When the applause died out, he continued. "We have many decisions to make and much work to do tomorrow, but tonight, we celebrate!" More cheering erupted from the crowd. The sun was completely gone from the sky. The only light was the bonfire and the stars.

James brought out a guitar. He sang a few songs to get the crowd going. Little kids were playing or bouncing on their parents' knees. Some of the adults, particularly the younger ones, and teenagers were dancing. DJ and Daryl sat on one of the log benches by the pit, staring down at the ground. The sides of their hands were touching, but neither of them acknowledged it. Finally James stopped playing. "Alright, DJ, come on." DJ sighed. "Well, maybe just one," she said grinning. She bent down and whispered in his ear. He nodded with a grin and started strumming.

" _I keep a close watch on this heart of mine_  
 _I keep my eyes wide open all the time_  
 _I keep the ends out for the tie that binds_  
 _Because you're mine, I walk the line..._

 _I find it very, very easy to be true_  
 _I find myself alone when each day's through_  
 _Yes, I'll admit that I'm a fool for you..._ "

Her eyes flitted to Daryl.

" _Because you're mine, I walk the line..._ "

She wasn't sure what the look on his face meant, but it made her heart race.

" _As sure as night is dark and day is light_  
 _I keep you on my mind both day and night_  
 _And happiness I've known proves that it's right_  
 _Because you're mine, I walk the line..._ "

She told herself to look away. She didn't want people talking, though she supposed that was out of her hands. People had _been_   talking since they first met.

" _You've got a way to keep me on your side_  
 _You give me cause for love that I can't hide_  
 _For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide_  
 _Because you're mine, I walk the line_

 _I keep a close watch on this heart of mine_  
 _I keep my eyes wide open all the time_  
 _I keep the ends out for the tie that binds_  
 _Because you're mine, I walk the line..._ "

The crowd applauded and requested another. DJ's eyes caught Daryl's again. He nodded with a small smile. She grinned. "Alright, alright. One more." She had to think for a minute about what to sing next. Eventually she decided on an old Madonna song, which really had the girls giggly and dancing around. When she finished she quietly stepped away while James strummed his guitar. After a brief moment Beth took DJ's place. DJ walked back over to Daryl. She wasn't sure what it was that made her do it, but she stood on her tiptoes and did the one thing she'd wanted to do since the day she met Daryl Dixon.

She curled her fingers through his hair as her lips met his. He tensed at her touch, but only momentarily. When it dawned on him what was happening, he slipped his strong arms around her waist and responded fervently. The scruff on his chin scratched at DJ's face and made her itchy but she liked it. She pressed her body closer to his, wanting him to explore her body with his hands. He kept them firmly planted on her waist, however. She parted her lips allowing Daryl's tongue to roam. They were suspended in time, their lips pressed together, tongues exploring. It was everything she'd ever wanted.

Daryl moved his lips to take her bottom lip gently between his teeth. A ragged breath escaped DJ's mouth as he sucked on her lower lip. It suddenly occurred to her that they weren't alone. She pulled away, though she didn't want to. "Somethin' wrong?" he breathed. She looked around. A few people were watching them rather than Beth. She looked back at Daryl. "I just remembered we're not alone." He grinned, though DJ thought his cheeks were pink. He moved his hands and caught hers. "I've been dyin' to do that since the day I met you," she told him. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You shoulda just done it," he grumbled, kissing the top of her head. She sighed contentedly into his chest and finally, for the first time since the world had turned to shit, she felt safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song credit: "I Walk The Line" by Johnny Cash
> 
> Hopefully you liked it. I know it seems like the end, but I think I'm gonna turn it into a 2 part series because I have some ideas for continuing.


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